Lesson 1 and 2 Module PDF

GURO21
MODULE 2
Developing Higher Order Thinking

Skills (HOTS) in Learners
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization

Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners A

Philippine Copyright 2011
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH)
ISBN 978-971-0487-34-9
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission of SEAMEO
INNOTECH.
http://www.seameo-innotech.org
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners I

Contents
What Is This Module About? ............................................................................... 1
What Will You Learn? ........................................................................................... 2
Flow of Instruction ................................................................................................ 3
What Do You Already Know? ............................................................................. 4
Feedback ................................................................................................................. 7
How Do You Rate Yourself? ................................................................................. 8
Lesson 1: Transforming My Classroom into a Thinking Classroom ............. 10
What Is This Lesson About? ............................................................................. 10

What Will You Learn? ....................................................................................... 11
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.1) ............................................................................. 11
Let’s Think About This ..................................................................................... 13
Let’s Read: The Need to Transform: Responding to Global Change ......... 14
Let’s Read: The Thinking Classroom............................................................... 18
Let’s Study: Teaching FOR Thinking .............................................................. 19
Let’s Study: Teaching OF Thinking ................................................................ 20
Let’s Study: Teaching ABOUT Thinking ....................................................... 21
Let’s Study: Teaching WITH Thinking .......................................................... 23
Let’s Read: Traditional vs. Thinking Curriculum ........................................ 25
Let’s Study: Characteristics of a Thinking Curriculum............................... 27
Let’s Study: Focuses on Real-Life Tasks ........................................................ 30
Let’s Study: Supports Holistic Learning ........................................................ 31
Let’s Study: Links Learning with Students’ Backgrounds ........................ 32
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.7) ........................................................................... 33
II Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

Let’s Think About This .................................................................................... 33
Let’s Study: Integrating Content and Process
into a Thinking Curriculum .................................................................. 34
Feedback............................................................................................................. 39
Let’s Study: Integrating HOTS in the Classroom......................................... 40
Feedback............................................................................................................. 44
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.9) ............................................................................ 44
Feedback............................................................................................................. 47
Let’s Remember ................................................................................................ 49
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson? .................................... 50
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 53
Lesson 2: Strengthening My Teaching through Teaching Strategies ............ 54
What Is This Lesson About? ........................................................................... 54

What Will You Learn? ..................................................................................... 55
Let’s Study: Planning to Integrate HOTS in My Instruction:
The Three Elements................................................................................. 56
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 61
Let’s Study: Instructional Approaches.......................................................... 61
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 64
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 65
Let’s Study: Brain-based Approaches............................................................ 65
Let’s Read: DePorter’s Quantum Learning Teaching Frame.................... 67
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 70
Let’s Read: Philosophical Approaches.......................................................... 70
Let’s Study: Socratic Questioning.................................................................. 72
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 74
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners III

Let’s Study: Learning Activities................................................................... 75
Let’s Think About This ................................................................................. 77
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.7) .......................................................................... 77
Let’s Study: Enhancing my Students’ HOTS: The Three Strategies ...... 78
Let’s Study: Applying Six Thinking Hats in the Classroom ..................... 80
Let’s Think About This ................................................................................. 82
Let’s Study: Thinker’s Keys........................................................................... 83
Let’s Read: Graphic Organizers.................................................................... 93
Let’s Think About This .................................................................................. 97
Feedback .......................................................................................................... 98
Let’s Study: Rubrics......................................................................................... 98
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.12) ........................................................................ 103
Let’s Read: Scoring Rubrics: What? And How?......................................... 103
Let’s Think About This ...................................................................................105
Let’s Study........................................................................................................ 105
Let’s Think About This .................................................................................. 108
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.13) ......................................................................... 108
Let’s Read: Designing Scoring Rubrics: Step-by-Step................................ 110
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.14).......................................................................... 112
Feedback ...........................................................................................................113
Let’s Remember ...............................................................................................113
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson? ...................................115
Feedback ...........................................................................................................118
Let’s Sum Up ....................................................................................................... 119

How Much Have You Learned From This Module? .................................... 121
Feedback .............................................................................................................. 126
How Do You Rate Yourself Now? ................................................................... 127
Let’s Apply What You’ve Learned (Module Assignment) .......................... 127
Key to Correction ............................................................................................... 129
Suggested Readings/Websites ......................................................................... 159
Glossary ............................................................................................................... 160
References ............................................................................................................ 163
Annex A: Examples of Activities that Promote
Higher Order Thinking...................................................................................165
Annex B: Examples of Rubrics ..........................................................................171
What Is This Module About?
In a typical classroom scenario, you often find the majority of stu-
dents sitting in orderly rows listening passively and taking notes,
while the teacher lectures in front of the class. This transmittal mod-
el of instruction regards the teacher as the “sage on the stage” and stu-
dents’ brains as empty vessels which the teacher fills with knowl-
edge. They are passive learners who merely memorize and reproduce
the given information at their end-of-the-year examination without
even having to engage in much thinking to answer the test questions.
This model, also known as the ‘cemetery model,’ has been in use since
the Civil War (Tharp, in McKeena, 2001) in the United States and most
countries of the world. In the twenty-first century, this instruction mod-
el, where the students sit in rows and listen passively to the teacher, is
considered outdated and ineffective. Why? The reason is that today’s
students are expected to take on an active role in the instruction pro-
cess in the classroom. They are required to be critical thinkers, problem-
solvers, and effective communicators who are not only proficient in aca-
demic core subjects, but also in twenty- first century content and skills.
They have to acquire and master learning and thinking skills, information
and communications technology literacy skills, and life skills in order to
succeed in post secondary education, workplace, and community life.
Given these new challenges, how different will the role of twenty-first cen-
tury teachers be as compared to that of the twentieth century? Teachers
must certainly change from that of being a “sage on the stage” to a “guide
by the side” and facilitate students’ learning. Although they will still have
to deliver the content of the course material, the strategies they use will
need to motivate students’ active participation in learning tasks, stimu-
late their thinking, and provide learning opportunities for collaboration.
To be able to play the role of a guide or facilitator in your classroom, you

need to be aware of what twenty-first century classrooms are like, and what
is expected of you in the process. In Module One, Developing Higher Order
Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Teachers, you have already learned to equip your-
self with higher order thinking skills concepts and strategies in the context
of your daily life. In this module, Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills
(HOTS) in Learners, you will apply the knowledge and skills you acquired to
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 1

develop higher order thinking skills in learners. By studying the lessons con-
tained in it, you will be able to transform your existing classroom into a think-
ing classroom, as well as strengthen your teaching using thinking strategies.
Are you ready now to embark on this interesting journey of exploring new
dimensions in your classroom instruction? I wish you a fruitful learning ex-
perience and hope you will gain as much knowledge and skills as possible
to enable you to effectively play the role of a twenty-first century teacher.
What Will You Learn?

After completing this module, you are expected to be able to develop high-
er order thinking skills in your students.
Specifically, you should be able to:
• Integrate critical and creative thinking, logical reasoning, and

problem-solving and decision-making skills into your instructional
strategies.
• Prepare a plan to develop and sustain higher order thinking skills

in your students.
• Assess your students’ higher order thinking skills.
There are two lessons in this module that will equip you with the necessary
working knowledge and specific skills involved in higher order thinking
skills.
Lesson 1. Transforming My Classroom into a Thinking Classroom

This lesson discusses the rationale for a thinking classroom and introduc-
es the concept of a thinking classroom. It analyzes the characteristics of a
thinking curriculum as well as evaluates the use of higher order thinking
skills in the context of the classroom.
Lesson 2. Strengthening My Teaching through Thinking Strategies

This lesson describes the integration of higher order thinking skills in in-
struction. It explains the application and evaluation of various thinking
strategies to enhance students’ higher order thinking skills. It also discuss-
es a step-by-step procedure of developing rubrics that will be useful for
you to assess higher order thinking skills in the classroom.
2 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

Flow of Instruction

Lesson Focus Topics
1. Transforming Discusses the rationale • Rationale for a
My Classroom for a thinking classroom. thinking classroom
into a
Thinking Describes and explains • Concept of a thinking
Classroom the concept of a classroom
thinking classroom.
• Characteristics of a
Discusses the charac- thinking curriculum
teristics of a thinking • Concept of higher
curriculum.
order thinking
Explains the concept of skills in a thinking
higher order thinking classroom
skills as well as evalu-
• Evaluation of the
ates its application in
the classroom. application of higher
order thinking skills
in the classroom
2. Strengthening Describes and explains • Planning to integrate
My how to integrate higher higher order thinking
Teaching
order thinking skills in skills in instruction
through
Thinking instruction. through
Strategies
Examines how the - Effective questioning
application of different - Instructional ap-
thinking strategies proaches
can enhance students’ - Learning activities
creative thinking,
critical thinking, • Application of
logical reasoning, and thinking strategies
problem-solving and to enhance students’
decision-making skills. creative thinking,
critical thinking,
Explains how to design logical reasoning, and
and use a scoring rubric problem-solving and
to evaluate higher order decision-making skills
thinking skills in the
• Designing a scoring
classroom.
rubric to assess higher
order thinking skills
in the classroom

What Do You Already Know?
Before you begin to study the different aspects related to a thinking class-
room as an approach to developing higher thinking skills in your students,
it will be a good idea for you to examine your present level of understand-
ing of the concept.
For questions 1-10, encircle the answer that you think is best.
1. The primary educational goal of the twenty-first century is to:
a. produce students who are holistically developed.

b. prepare students for college, citizenship, and employment.
c. equip students with sound content knowledge.
d. enable students to master information and technology skills.
2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a thinking classroom?
a. Students work in groups based on skill level or language ability.

b. Learning takes place in a safe, tolerant, and disciplined environment
for students.
c. Teachers view ‘content’ as a vehicle for developing students’
efficacy, flexibility, and interdependence.
d. Curriculum intent moves away from knowledge acquisition to
knowledge production as an outcome.
3. A thinking curriculum integrates both content and process. This means

that
a. Life-long learning is the primary focus.

b. Processes are realized in the same manner in different content areas.
c. Students are taught content through processes encountered in the
real-world.
d. Teachers are experts in content area and productive pedagogies.
4. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, higher order thinking skills include
a. application, comprehension, and evaluation.

b. evaluation, analysis, and synthesis.
c. evaluation, synthesis, and comprehension.
d. synthesis, analysis, and application.

5. In the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, ‘creating’ is associated with
a. constructing graphic organizers.

b. constructing meaning from graphic messages.
c. giving recommendations.
d. re-organizing elements.
6. Teacher Thelma asks her students to explain why a ripe durian falls to
the ground. Their explanation should include the Law of Gravity and
the meaning of gravitational forces that attract the durian to the earth.
Which higher order thinking skill is required of her students to complete
this activity?
a. Interpret
b. Apply a rule
c. Solve
d. Describe
7. Mr. Maniam teaches Grade Six students. He plans to use De Bono’s Six
Thinking Hats for a class discussion to decide a venue for an educational
visit. He divides his students into groups and assigns different concerns
for different hats. Choose the best answer from the four options given
below.
a. Focus on advantages — Yellow hat

b. Evaluation — Red hat
c. Alternatives for action — Black hat
d. Presentation of facts — Blue hat
8. Mrs. Munira has just attended a talk on “Productive Pedagogies.” The

speaker focused on the benefits of using thinking tools in instruction.
Mrs. Munira is keen to use a graphic organizer that identifies cause and
effect. This type of graphic organizer is called a
a. Flow chart.
b. Venn diagram.
c. Y chart.
d. Fishbone diagram.

9. Ms. Nurul has given her students a portfolio-based assignment. She
is in doubt on what type of rubric is most appropriate to evaluate her
students’ performance. Use the statements below as a guide in choosing
the best rubric that Ms. Nurul should use for this activity.
a. Analytic rubrics are primarily used when the purpose of the

performance assessment is summative in nature.
b. Holistic rubrics score individual components of the product or
process.
c. Analytic rubrics create a profile of specific student strengths and
weaknesses.
d. Holistic rubrics offer significant feedback to students and teachers.
10. Mr. Mark is the English Language panel head in his school. He is
conducting a workshop on how to design scoring rubrics for evaluating
student essays. Which of the following will he emphasize as the first
step in designing rubrics?
a. Identify specific observable attributes.

b. Brainstorm criteria for performance levels.
c. Identify levels of performance for excellent to poor work.
d. Re-examine learning objectives addressed by the task.
For questions 11-13, write your answers on the space provided.
11. Enumerate the four characteristics of a thinking curriculum.
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
(iii) ___________________________________________________________
(iv) ___________________________________________________________
12. How would you differentiate between lower order thinking skills and
higher order thinking skills?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

13. How would you convert rubric scores to grades or descriptive feedback?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
14. Match the appropriate sub-skills with the corresponding thinking skills
by connecting them with lines.
A B
Drawing conclusions Interpretation
Assessing arguments Inference
Identifying arguments Evaluation
Clarifying meaning Analysis
Feedback
You may now compare your responses with those in the Key to Correc-
tion found on pages 129-136. What is your score? How well did you do?
If you answered all the questions correctly, you already have a very
good knowledge base and understanding of the contents of this
module, which is about developing higher order thinking in your
students. However, it is recommended that you study the mod-
ule to refresh your memory as well as learn some new concepts.
If you correctly answered at least 11 of the 14 questions, you have a

good knowledge base and understanding of the contents of the mod-
ule. Nevertheless, you will need to further increase your knowl-
edge by working through the module lessons and activities.
If you obtained 10 or less correct answers, you need to learn more about
developing higher order thinking skills in your students. Study carefully
all the topics discussed in the module, and try and complete all the sug-
gested activities as well as the reflection and self-assessment exercises.
Before you proceed to Lesson One, evaluate your current level of compe-
tency as a teacher who aims to develop higher order thinking skills in
your students. Please fill out the self-rating checklist on the next page.

How Do You Rate Yourself?
SELF-RATING COMPETENCY CHECKLIST
Directions: The checklist below contains a list of competencies cov-

ered in this module. For each competency, there are four possible levels
of mastery (Novice, Apprentice, Practitioner, Expert). You will use this
matrix to rate your level of mastery of each competency prior to study-
ing the module (PRE), and after you complete the module (POST). For
each competency, place a check mark (√ ) under the appropriate “PRE”
column which best describes your level of mastery prior to study-
ing the lessons of the module. You will place a check mark (√) under
the appropriate “POST” column when you have completed the mod-
ule. Comparing your two self-ratings on the PRE and POST columns
will tell you whether you have improved your competency level or not.
I cannot I am learn- I can do this, I can do

do this ing how to but I need to this very
yet do this learn more well
COMPETENCY and improve
(Novice) (Apprentice) (Expert)
(Practitioner)
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post

1. Explain the
rationale for a
thinking class-
room.
2. Discuss the con-
cept of a think-
ing classroom.
3. Describe the
characteristics of
a thinking cur-
riculum.
4. Apply the con-

cept of higher
order thinking
skills.

I cannot I am learn- I can do this, I can do
do this ing how to but I need to this very
yet do this learn more well
COMPETENCY and improve
(Novice) (Apprentice) (Expert)
(Practitioner)
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
5. Assess the use
of higher order
thinking skills in
your classroom.
6. Integrate higher
order thinking
skills in instruc-
tion.
7. Apply thinking
strategies to en-
hance students’
critical think-
ing, creative
thinking, logical
reasoning, and
problem-solving
and decision-
making skills.
8. Design a scoring
rubric to evalu-
ate higher order
thinking skills in
the classroom.
How did you fare? Have you identified the competencies that you need to
work on? Keep them in mind as you study the lessons in this module. You
may now proceed to Lesson One.

Lesson
1
Transforming My Classroom
Into a Thinking Classroom
What Is This Lesson About?

During the 1980s, the move towards the teaching of explicit thinking in the
classroom marked the birth of diverse programs and courses that were
specially focused on thinking. However, over time, many educators assert-
ed that it was impossible to teach thinking skills as a stand-alone element.
They argued that students needed some kind of domain knowledge to start
their thinking process.
Today, infusion (sometimes known as immersion) of teaching thinking

into standard content area instruction has been recognized as the vehicle
for inspiring our students to think. In other words, teachers are required
to blend instruction in specific thinking skills into their content instruction.
They need to teach students to think deeply about content.
In view of this, the importance attributed to thinking skills cannot be un-

deremphasized. The goal of today’s teachers is to make thinking explicit to
their students using thinking routines and sophisticated questioning and
discussion skills, to name a few. Teachers have the task of realizing the vi-
sion of today’s educational institutions, that is, to produce students who
are capable of facing a globally competitive work environment upon com-
pletion of their secondary and/or tertiary education.
This first lesson will enable you to gain insights on how to operationalize
the thinking culture plan that you developed in Module One, Developing
Higher Order Thinking Skills in Teachers. As a teacher, you can do this by
starting off with your own classroom and students.

This lesson will help you answer the following questions:
• What is the nature of a thinking classroom?
• How will I transform my classroom into a thinking classroom?
• What is the role of higher order thinking skills in the context of a

thinking classroom?
The scenarios presented in this lesson may be somewhat similar to the ones
you often find in your classroom.

After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
• Describe a thinking classroom.
• Explain higher order thinking skills in the context of a thinking

classroom.
• Evaluate the application of higher order thinking skills in your own

classroom.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.1)

Study the scenario below. Mr. Ahmad, the school head, is shown presiding
an academic staff meeting at the beginning of the new school year. Reflect
on the teachers’ concerns and answer the questions that follow.
Mr. Ahmad: Last week,

I received a circular
from the Ministry of
Education National
Office. For the new
academic session, we
have been directed to find
ways to create thinking
classrooms.
There is hushed silence in the room. Then slowly, some teachers raise their
hands to ask questions. The atmosphere in the room became a little chaotic,
with many raised hands and simultaneous chatter from among the teachers.

Answer the following questions. Write your responses on the spaces provided.
1. In your opinion, why did the Ministry of Education issue the new
directive to schools?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. If you were one of the teachers in that school, what questions would you
raise in response to this new directive?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Why would you have these concerns?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Have you experienced a similar situation in your school? What was

your reaction?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Discuss your responses with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Think About This
The teachers’ reactions in the scenario presented in Activity 1.1 seem typi-
cal of classroom practitioners to any proposed changes in the education
system. Their initial reactions would probably be, “Why change when it
has been working fine before?”, “How soon will it happen?”, “How will it
impact me?”, “Will I receive new training?”, and many more. Some may
even be cynical, with remarks like, “I doubt they are really serious about
this.”
I am sure you will agree that changes usually pose new challenges to your
personal and professional life. In your endeavor to acquire the new ena-
bling competencies necessary for the change implementation, you will cer-
tainly need to invest much of your time and effort. However, you might
find it easier to manage these challenges if you know why you need to
change the existing situation. In the context of Mr. Ahmad’s teachers, they
want answers to their questions pertaining to the transformation of their
existing classrooms to thinking classrooms.
If you were Mr. Ahmad, how would you address your teachers’ concerns?
Write your thoughts on the space below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Share your responses with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Read
The Need to Transform: Responding to Global Changes
In recent years, you might have read about or been directly involved in cur-
ricular reform initiatives in your country. Like Mr. Ahmad’s teachers, you
will probably also ask, “Why is curricular reform necessary?” and “Why is
there a need to transform our existing classrooms?”
Before we examine the justification for the transformation, it is important

for you to understand what is meant by “transformation.” Caldwell (2004)
defines it as “a significant systematic and sustained change that results in
high levels of achievement for all students in all settings, especially under
challenging circumstances, thus making a contribution to the well-being of
the individual and society.” Based on this definition, it can be concluded
that any transformation is presumed to have positive effects for both the
individual and society at large.
Generally, the last decade has seen curricular reforms in reading, math-
ematics, science, social studies, and language arts in response to new re-
search findings and societal changes. In the twenty-first century, the need
for transformation of existing learning environments and classroom best
practices takes a further leap. As you are aware, most Southeast Asian
economies are shifting from the traditional industrial base to an infor-
mation and service base. There is now a wealth of information, either in
printed or virtual form, for us to access. Furthermore, the future economic
success of a country is heavily dependent on skills, creativity, and innova-
tion. Individuals are also now holding more than one job, and these jobs
demand rapidly advancing technology and changes in workplace norms.
Additionally, we are experiencing a growing concern for social equity in
education and politics as well as interdependence on other countries.
Therefore, schools and teachers are increasingly challenged with the task
of ensuring that our students maximize their opportunities to manage and
make sense of large and shifting bases of information, as well as adapt to
changing work environments, work collaboratively and effectively in teams,
and live harmoniously with others who come from different and diversified
backgrounds. What better way to achieve this than through a new curricu-
lum that addresses twenty-first century challenges? In accordance with this,

twenty-first century educational goals need to be redefined. Schooling and
learning must now strive to produce young people who are intellectually
curious, problem-solvers, critical and creative thinkers, and change adap-
tors to enable them to succeed in college, citizenship, and employment.
Interestingly, findings of the Queensland School Reform Longitudinal

Study (1998-2000) emphasized a need for teachers to shift their attention
and focus “beyond basic skills to key aspects of higher-order thinking…
towards more productive pedagogies” (QSRLS, 2001b:15). Additionally,
the Middle Years Research and Development Project (MYRAD) conducted
in 250 schools in New Zealand (1999-2001) reported that students’ learn-
ing behavior is strongly influenced by teachers’ emphasis on thinking and
learning strategies. The more students believe that their teachers are em-
phasizing thinking and learning strategies: (i) the higher their learning mo-
tivation; (ii) the greater their involvement in productive cognitive strate-
gies; (iii) the firmer their focus on task goals; and (iv) the better their control
over their own learning.
Given these reasons, it is no wonder that Mr. Ahmad’s teachers in the sce-
nario presented earlier felt professionally challenged. Perhaps some of them
might have felt that they lack content and pedagogical content knowledge
and skills to blend specific thinking skills into their content instruction.
In addressing this issue, Mr. Ahmad can perhaps schedule continuing

professional development courses for his teachers. During these courses,
invited subject matter experts can share current best practices related to
teaching thinking in order to help his teachers transform their present cur-
ricula into thinking-oriented curricula.

The case of Mr. Ahmad presenting his staff with a new policy issued by
the Ministry of Education is an example of curricular reform to meet the
challenges of the twenty-first century. Imagine your school head issuing
the same directive to you and your colleagues during the first staff meeting
at the beginning of this year.
1. Assess your knowledge and skills in relation to transforming your

existing classroom into a thinking classroom. To what extent are you
competent in carrying out this task effectively?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. How will you overcome any inadequacies you might have?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Now that you know the reasons behind the directive to transform your
existing classroom into a thinking classroom, can you envision how such a
classroom will be like?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Based on your vision of a thinking classroom, what can you conclude?
Firstly you will need to have a ‘thinking classroom’ philosophy that will
spell out your instructional goals and aims clearly. You will aim to produce
students of the future who should be able to solve problems, think crea-
tively, think critically, make decisions, analyze and evaluate information
and ideas, and plan for the future.
Secondly, you can go ahead with the second step: to plan and implement
your thinking curriculum. Thinking skills should be explicitly taught in
an authentic and meaningful context. This means that, in your instruction
delivery, you will provide significant opportunities for high-level thinking,
complex problem-solving, and open-ended responses.
Finally, consider the important element: the example you set within the
classroom context. You must promote the thinking culture by modelling
the behaviors and dispositions of a thinking teacher, be enthusiastic about
thinking, learning, and complex reasoning tasks. A thinking classroom is
the product of the harmonious interplay of a thinking environment, a think-
ing culture, a thinking teacher, and a thinking pedagogy. The end result
will be the provision of real opportunities for transfer and deep meaning-
ful learning – the final goal of all teachers and students of the twenty-first
century.
Given the above considerations, how do you propose to make further im-
provements to your earlier vision of a thinking classroom? Write down
your thoughts on the lines provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Share your ideas with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Read
The Thinking Classroom
What does a thinking classroom look like? Fogarty (2009) outlines how
thinking is infused in the classroom using four elements. These are teach-
ing for thinking, teaching of thinking, teaching with thinking, and teaching
about thinking. Together, these elements make up the four-corner framework
for teaching for, of, with, and about thinking. This framework also allows
for individual teacher creativity and flexibility, besides providing a struc-
ture and focus for pedagogical improvement. The table that follows shows
the four-corner framework of teaching and the programs and methodolo-
gies that correspond to each element.
Elements of a Thinking Classroom

(Fogarty, 2009)
Teaching FOR Thinking Teaching OF Thinking
• Teaching and class organization • Curriculum redesign

• Establishing the climate for • Direct instruction of thinking
learning skills and strategies
• Supportive individual • Critical, creative, caring
relationships thinking
• Effective classroom
management
• Safe learning environment
• Supportive risk-taking
Teaching WITH Thinking Teaching ABOUT Thinking
• Community engagement • Metacognition

• Experiential learning • Self-assessment
• Rich, complex tasks • Reflective learning
• Authentic assessment • Transfer and application
• Sustained thinking time • Student-centered goal setting
• Student involvement and self-monitoring

Let’s Study
Let us examine each of the four elements of a thinking classroom in greater
detail. As you read, try and reflect to what extent these four aspects are
evidenced in your existing classroom.
Teaching FOR Thinking
What do you understand by “teaching for thinking”? Generally, this ele-

ment emphasizes your role, as teacher, to create an effective thinking class-
room climate. In terms of the physical space in your classroom, you organ-
ize your students’ seating arrangements in such a way that it promotes
interactivity, active learning, and positive interaction, as well as allows you
to be close to your students. For example, you arrange for them to sit in
groups of four when you do small group activity or in horse-shoe forma-
tion for whole-class instruction. Flexible student groupings like these help
maximize learning.
To encourage collaborative teacher-student relationships, you develop fre-

quent contact with your students in order to know their individual ap-
proaches to learning, their learning styles, and their learning needs in dif-
ferent content areas. You facilitate their learning by encouraging them to
ask and answer questions, attempt new approaches, make mistakes, and
contribute and elaborate on their own ideas. Indirectly, you have provided
a safe environment in your classroom, where, in the event your students
experience failure, their self-esteem is not compromised (Fogarty, 2009).

Now sit back and reflect how often and to what extent you demonstrate
and practice these various aspects of teaching for thinking in your class-
room. Write your reflections on the space below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Discuss your thoughts with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Study
Teaching OF Thinking
How about “teaching of thinking,” then? Costa (2001) refers to teach-

ing of thinking as the direct instruction of the thinking process. Each pro-
cess taught is aligned to student development and to higher-order, more
complex thinking operations. You can use some of the thinking strategies
and tools that employ a variety of creative and critical thinking techniques,
such as the following:
Mindmapping technique. This technique contributes to accelerated learn-

ing as it helps your students organize large amounts of content material,
save time when taking notes, improve memory and recall, and foster crea-
tivity. This strategy is also called as “thinking map” (Fogarty, 2009). You
can work with your students to develop a list of specific focus questions,
such as “What options are available for me?”, “What are the short-term
consequences of each option?”, “What are the long-term consequences of
each option?” This list of questions can then be posted on the wall of the
classroom to guide your students through the thinking process.
Visual tools. Various types of graphic organizers (e.g., timelines and con-
cept maps) facilitate your students’ understanding as information and ide-
as are organized, and as patterns, concepts, and ideas are linked through
the use of words or pictures.
Metacognitive skills. Students develop the ability to know what they know
and what they do not know. For example, they use self–questioning to ex-
amine if they have achieved the cognitive goal of understanding a given
reading passage (Costa, 2001).

Have you used the aforementioned thinking strategies in your classroom?
If yes, how well did they work? If you haven’t used them, now is a good
time for you to try them out.
Write your ideas on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Share your reflections with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.
Let’s Study
Teaching ABOUT Thinking
What, then, is “teaching about thinking”? This third element puts the re-
sponsibility on the students to be self-reflexive, that is, not just to think
and know. Rather, they need to think about their own thinking and know-
ing, and then relate it to their goals for learning. As a teacher, you can
operationalize teaching about thinking by asking them to carry out con-
versations either in pairs (“Think-Pair-Share”) or in groups where they
“think out loud” different ways of interpreting learning experiences for
mutual benefit. When your students ask questions such as, “What am I
doing now?”, “Is it getting me anywhere?”, “What else could I be doing
instead?”, it helps them avoid holding on to unproductive approaches and
to think of more innovative ways of doing things (Fogarty, 2009).
According to Costa (2001), teaching about thinking encompasses five es-

sential strategies that include the following:
i. Learning to learn. Students learn the different stages of the learning

process and understand their own preferred approaches to that
learning process. They can also identify and overcome blocks to
learning, and can bring learning from outside classroom learning to
classroom situations.

ii. Multiple Intelligences. Students learn about Gardner’s eight (or
nine) multiple intelligences through which they identify their own
strengths and weaknesses in a particular area. They also realize
that they can improve their learning in their weak areas. Besides,
they are better able to empathize with peers who demonstrate
intelligence in areas that are different from theirs.
iii. Learning Styles. Students examine the many different learning

styles and learn to identify their own, in comparison with their
peers, which may be similar to or different from theirs. They also
realize how learning styles impact on learning and thinking.
iv. Great Thinkers. Students become aware of the great contributions

of scientists, artists, musicians, composers, philosophers and other
great thinkers to creative and critical thinking. This serves as a
source of inspiration for them to imitate these great thinkers in
order to achieve success.
v. Epistemic Cognition. Students learn how various disciplines

produce knowledge. They realize that, for example, scientists
and historians differ in their work and thought processes. This
realization may then stimulate their interest in understanding and
accepting the different thought processes of other people including
their peers.

As you recall your routine instructional practice in the classroom, have you
implemented the strategies discussed above to enhance reflexivity in your
students? Write your thoughts on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Let’s Study
Teaching WITH Thinking
Lastly, can you explain what you understand by “teaching with thinking”?
If your thought is that teaching with thinking is about structuring the inter-
action with thought-provoking activities that require the intense involve-
ment of learners, you are right! Learning with the element of teaching with
thinking is shaped by an internal process and by social interaction. The in-
ternal process involves the student constructing meanings in his/her mind
through hands-on learning, the application of graphic organizers, the use
of multiple intelligences, case studies, and problem-based learning, among
others. Social interaction would include activities such as dialogue with
others and the use of cooperative learning (Fogarty, 2009).
Teaching with thinking also requires you to develop authentic learning

tasks for your students such as interviewing and interacting with commu-
nity members to complete a classroom project or doing voluntary work in
a local non-profit organization as part of a coursework assignment, and
so on. You may also establish regular interaction and contact with parents
regarding their children’s thinking and learning skills.

Spend some time reflecting how often you incorporate the suggested ac-
tivities in your instructional process in order to infuse your teaching with
the element of teaching with thinking. Write your reflections on the lines
provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Based on what you have just learned , how do you now envision a thinking
classroom? Write your answers on the lines provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

In a professional development workshop on “Classroom Pedagogy in
Twenty-first Century Classrooms,” lead facilitator Ms. Ellen introduced
the concepts of a traditional curriculum and a thinking curriculum. Early
on, she said that these two are entirely different and the distinction could
be easily recognized. To engage the participants, she divided them into
two groups. She asked Group 1 to write down what they thought were the
characteristics of a traditional curriculum; Group 2, qualities of a thinking
curriculum.
Do you have any idea on what Group 1 could have written as the character-
istics of a traditional curriculum? Write your answers on the space below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How about the characteristics of a thinking classroom that Group 2 could

have written?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Let’s Read
Traditional vs. Thinking Curriculum
How well did you characterize a traditional curriculum as compared to a

thinking curriculum? Let’s see by visiting Ms. Ellen in her concluding session.
Ms. Ellen describes traditional curriculum as one that includes core sub-
jects, such as math, science, history, and English, and electives. Students
may also take courses in the social sciences and expand their curriculum
with topics like art, foreign languages, music, acting, and so forth. The
curriculum is designed in a progressive way, with each level being slightly
more challenging than the last, requiring students to build skills and use
them as they work their way through the curriculum.
The traditional curriculum involves the presentation of information in the

form of blocks or units which are broken into smaller units of information
and presented by the teacher to the students. The exchange of ideas be-
tween students and teachers is less encouraged; as such, the facilitation of
class discussion is not a part of the traditional curriculum.
The traditional curriculum is also usually heavily standards-based, with

testing used to measure accomplishment and progress. This practice, for
some educators, may result in a “teach to the test” format in which students
are provided with information to help them pass a test, but not necessarily
with information which they can use. For example, math education might
be very based on learning set formulas and ways of doing math, but not
on developing math skills which could be useful in real life (Smith, 2010).
On the other hand, a thinking curriculum promotes more systematic re-

flection upon the thinking skills and processes involved in teaching and
learning instead of focusing on the subject content. The goal of a thinking
curriculum is to promote and emphasize higher order thinking (creativ-
ity and synthesis, as opposed to simple recall or limited application) and
the broader approaches, such as multiple intelligences are all embraced in
broader notion of “successful learners” and good thinking (VELS, 2010).
The following table highlights the distinguishing features of the traditional

curriculum and the thinking curriculum.

Comparison between a Traditional Curriculum
and a Thinking Curriculum
Aspect Traditional Thinking

Curriculum Curriculum
Teaching Belief in a single Belief in multiple
philosophy intelligence that is fixed and intelligences that can
static change with students’ effort
and teacher’s instruction
Concept of Accumulation of facts: Transformation of facts:

knowledge students recalling and students applying core
applying prescribed content thinking processes as they
work with content
Educational Knowing that: emphasis on Knowing how and why and

goal passing standardized tests how to find out: develop-
for streaming and selection ing independent, critical,
purposes creative and caring thinkers
Instructional Teaching-centered Learning-centered
approach
Instruction Content-focused Process-driven

focus
Classroom Teacher-centered, and Learner-centered and
activity didactic interactive
Role of Fact teller, knowledge Facilitator, collaborator,
teacher disseminator, and subject fellow learner, and,
matter expert sometimes the expert
Role of Listener, always the learner, Active, generative,

student passive, and receptive: metacognitive, reflective:
answer questions asked by set their own questions
someone else (usually the assisted by thinking tools,
teacher) such as keys, mind maps,
matrices, and so on
Ethos Competitive against others Striving for personal best

against criteria and standards
Assessment Norm-referenced: use of Criterion-referenced: use
and multiple choice items for of portfolios and perfor-
evaluation comparison of students’ mances to record students’
objective memorization of facts growth in thinking process
over time
Teaching Teach methods for content Use of metacognition for

strategies recall identifying and sharing
thinking processes

Reflect on the distinction between traditional curriculum and thinking cur-
riculum and answer the following questions.
1. What type of curriculum is reflected in your classroom - traditional or

thinking? Cite evidences.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In this twenty-first century, which is the more effective type of curriculum

- traditional or thinking? Why do you think so?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Let’s Study
Characteristics of a Thinking Curriculum
As you attempt to compare the more traditional curriculum with the think-
ing curriculum, you will realize that one central theme stands out among
others: “The thinking curriculum integrates both the content and process
of learning.” As you know, “content” refers to all the different concepts,
principles, generalizations, problems, facts, and definitions of a particular
subject area. “Process,” on the other hand, includes learning strategies and
skills, creative and critical thinking, metacognition (thinking about think-
ing), and social skills that are used to teach content.

In the traditional curriculum, teachers view content and processes as sepa-
rate entities to be taught separately. In contrast, in a thinking curriculum,
teachers teach content through processes that students face in their daily
lives. To illustrate, you would teach decision-making by asking your stu-
dents how they decide between two situations: spending the afternoon
studying for a coming weekly test, or going to a football practice. As your
students solve problems, weigh the pros and cons and make decisions in
their tasks, they thus engage in higher order thinking. In doing so, they
develop habits of mind that are relevant to learning, thereby ensuring them
success in school and the outside world.
Four characteristics emerge from the integration of content and process in

the thinking curriculum: promotes in-depth learning, focuses on real-life
tasks, supports holistic learning, and links learning with students’ back-
grounds (Fennimore & Tinzmann, 1990). Let us now examine each of these
characteristics.
1. Promotes In-Depth Learning

A thinking curriculum provides students with tools to acquire a deep
understanding of concepts and processes and to engage in continual
discovery and construction of meaning. These thinking tools have been
fully covered in the discussion on the thinking classroom, specifically
under the teaching OF, WITH, and ABOUT thinking on pages 19-21.
Can you cite some examples of these thinking tools? Write your answers
on the space below.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
If your answers included mind mapping techniques, visual tools, metacog-

nition, multiple intelligences, great thinkers, and authentic tasks among
others, you are doing great!
How can this characteristic be operationalized in a thinking curriculum? To

illustrate, read how Ms. Yani teaches about the history of pre-war buildings.

Ms. Yani asks her students to identify the location of some of the still existing
pre-war colonial buildings, such as a school, a police station, a restaurant, or
a shop house. In groups of four, they go to the building assigned to them and
interview the person-in-charge, such as the school administrator, officer-in-
charge, owner or proprietor. Based on the information obtained from the key
informants, they compile or construct historical accounts of that particular
building. They then make presentations in class.
How do you think will Ms. Yani tackle the same sub-topic, that is, the his-
tory of pre-war buildings in a traditional classroom? In a traditional class-
room, she will very likely ask the students to name some of the pre-war
buildings and monuments that they know. Using the direct instruction ap-
proach, she will then give a lecture on the facts and figures related to some
of the pre-war buildings and monuments that are still in existence in cer-
tain parts of the country. At the end of the lesson, she will most likely give
them an oral or a written exercise on pre-war buildings.
After you have read how Ms. Yani will teach the history of pre-war build-
ings in a thinking classroom and in a traditional classroom, you will agree
that the former is better.

Now, let’s see how well you can operationalize this characteristic of a
thinking classroom. On the lines below, write how you will apply in-depth
learning to a particular topic in your thinking classroom.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Share and discuss your answer with your co-learners and Flexible Learn-
ing Tutor.

Let’s Study
Now that you have learned how to operationalize in-depth learning in
your lesson, let’s know more about how real-life tasks characterize a think-
ing classroom
2. Focuses on Real-Life Tasks
The thinking curriculum focuses on real-world problems centered on ob-

jects, events, and situations that students may presently or potentially en-
counter. To learn how this characteristic is demonstrated in a thinking
curriculum, read about Mr. Phiene, a Social Studies teacher who facilitates
the topic “Verbal Communication” with his rural students.
Mr. Phiene assigns his students the following task. They are to meet at the
town market situated five kilometers away in an hour’s time. They are not to
take the public bus, walk, or cycle there. Neither are they allowed to use money
to pay anyone who is willing to take them nor can they ask a family member for
a ride to the assigned destination.
By formulating the activity around real-life situations and interpersonal

skills, Mr Phiene’s students are more likely to understand effective com-
munication skills than if they are “spoon-fed” with facts and information.

Now, think of your own classroom. Choose a topic in your lesson and
describe on the space below how you can use “real-life tasks” in teaching
it to your students.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Discuss your answer with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Study
Are you now ready to learn about the third characteristic of a thinking
classroom? Then, let’s proceed.
3. Supports Holistic Learning
As you have learned earlier, the traditional curriculum breaks up a task

into a series of steps, and students practice the required sub-skills. In con-
trast, rather than chopping up a task into isolated skills and facts, the think-
ing curriculum engages students in the holistic performance of meaningful
and complex tasks in challenging situations.
The example below, on how Mrs. Santos teaches her students how to write
a summary, illustrates the characteristics of a thinking curriculum.
Mrs. Santos is a high school English teacher. She wants to teach her 13-year
old students how to write a summary. She asks them to take out their Literature
book and turn to the first chapter of the story, “The Pearl.” In pairs, they
summarize the first three paragraphs. Individually, they summarize the next
five paragraphs. After this, Mrs. Santos asks each student to write a summary
of a short story of their choice.
If Mrs. Santos were teaching summarizing skills in her traditional English

Language classroom, this would probably be how she will do it. She
will teach them all the steps involved in summarizing one at a time. For
example, she asks them to read the story once again, and then categorize
all the headings and sub-headings. After giving them enough practice,
she proceeds to the next step that is, to edit for overlapping or irrelevant
information. She then allocates time for practice. The process continues
until the last step, that is, to revise their summary for style, grammar, and
punctuation.

After you have learned how Mrs. Santos teaches summarizing skills differ-
ently using the holistic process as a characteristic of a thinking curriculum,
it’s time for you to try it out. On the space below, describe how you will
apply the holistic process in teaching a particular topic in your class.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Share and discuss your answer with your co-learners and Flexible Learn-
ing Tutor.
Let’s Study
The fourth characteristic of a thinking classroom is that it is able to make a
connection between learning and students’ backgrounds.
4. Links Learning with Students’ Backgrounds
If you examine the traditional curriculum, you will find that there is little
evidence to establish the importance of linking students’ family, commu-
nity, and cultural experiences with school learning. In contrast, the think-
ing curriculum places great emphasis on creating a connection between the
learning process and the students’ backgrounds. Because students come
from multicultural backgrounds, this characteristic also better prepares
students to live peaceably in a global society.
To find out how this characteristic is operationalized in a thinking curricu-

lum, read how Mr. Wong, a Civics teacher, teaches the topic, “Traditional
Costumes and Dances in Malaysia.”

Mr. Wong’s class is made up of students of mixed races: Malays, Chinese, and
Indians. He divides the class into groups of five. They draw lots to determine
the ethnic group for which they have to compile a scrapbook on “Traditional
Costumes and Dances.” The groups are allowed to seek assistance from local
cultural associations.
How do you think Mr. Wong would teach this same topic using the tradi-
tional approach? He would, most likely, just teach them the names of the
traditional costumes and dances of the various ethnic groups in Malaysia.
Perhaps he might just show them pictures of the Chinese traditional dress
for Chinese women, that is, the cheongsam.

Now, think of a topic in your lesson and describe how you can link it to
your students’ diverse backgrounds. Write your ideas on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Reflect about the four characteristics of a thinking classroom by filling out
the table below and checking the column under Easy if you think the char-
acteristic will be easy to operationalize or Difficult if you think it would be
difficult to apply. For those that you will state as Difficult, write what you
might be able to do to overcome the possible difficulty.
Characteristics Easy Difficult Ways to

of a Thinking Overcome
Classroom Difficulty
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discuss your answer with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Study
Integrating Content and Process
into a Thinking Curriculum
Remember the four teachers who taught using the thinking approach and
how the topics would have been taught applying the traditional approach?
Let us now analyze how these teachers were able to integrate the content
and process of a thinking curriculum into the subject they teach.
In the first scenario, Ms Yani promoted in-depth learning in her students by

making them go to the original source and seek relevant information in
order to construct their own historical accounts about pre-war buildings.
Rather than stuffing them with facts and dates, she helped the students
learn how to select, organize, and differentiate important and not-so-im-
portant pieces of information to include in their written assignment.
In the second scenario, Mr. Phiene situated the content and process objec-
tives of his lesson in real-world tasks. By stating certain task limitations, he
engaged his students in out-of-school thinking that would involve creative
thinking, logical reasoning, and decision-making to arrive at a meaningful
solution to a real-world situation. They would also use effective communi-
cation skills such as bargaining, negotiating, and persuasion in order to get
a lift to town from non-family members.
What do you think of Mrs. Santos’s teaching of “summarizing”? It is clear

that she has engaged her students with a whole task. She did away with
the traditional strategy of teaching them the steps one at a time and then
giving them ample practice to “master” each step before proceeding to the
next. Instead, she treated the summarizing task as an indivisible whole and
provided variations in the form of collaboration and individual work. In
so doing, she recognized the students as novices who needed a context or
environment in which to learn and succeed.
In the fourth scenario, Mr. Wong’s assignment to his students built on their
diverse backgrounds and cultural experiences. He made them relate school
learning to real-life issues and encouraged them to seek the expertise of
their peers, parents, and community members. Hence, they not only con-
nected content and processes to their own backgrounds, but they also
learned how other people interpret and organize content according to their
different perspectives.

In Module One, Developing HOTS in Teachers, you learned how to integrate
higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in your own life. Have you thought
about the role of HOTS in your classroom? Are you equipped with knowl-
edge and skills to integrate HOTS in your teaching? To help you find out,
answer the questionnaire below.
Part One of the instrument contains eight items that aim to rate your knowl-
edge about teaching HOTS. Part Two, which contains six items, allows you
to rate your pedagogical skills about teaching HOTS. Part Three consists
of eleven items that are intended to surface your attitude and beliefs about
teaching HOTS. Follow the instructions given to complete the question-
naire.
How do You Rate Yourself in Terms of Teaching

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)?
Item 1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Dis- Not Strongly
Agree
Disagree agree Sure Agree
Part I (Place a check mark [√ ] for each item)
I know:
1. how to incorporate HOTS
in the curriculum.
2. how to plan to use HOTS in
my lesson.
3. how to use different strate-
gies and techniques to
teach HOTS.
4. how to teach HOTS using
the infusion approach.
5. how to adjust the learning com-
ponents to the level of students
for HOTS.
6. how to involve students
actively in the teaching
and learning processes in
HOTS.
7. how to develop HOTS in
my students.
8. how to evaluate student
improvement in HOTS.
Total

Items 1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Dis- Not Agree Strongly
Part II (Place a check mark [√ ] for each item)
I am able to:
9. adjust the learning components
to the level of students for HOTS.
10. use resource materials for the ef-
fective learning of HOTS.
11. provide feedback to students for
the effective learning of HOTS.
12. involve students actively in the
teaching and learning processes
in HOTS.
13. develop HOTS in my students.
14. evaluate student improvement in
HOTS.
Total
Items 1 2 3 4 5
Part III (Place a check [√ ] for each item)
I believe that:
15. my responsibilities are confined
to the school and its work-
ing hours in terms of teaching
HOTS.
16. I can gain a great deal of
satisfaction through teaching
HOTS.
17. I have an important influence
in my students’ life in terms of
teaching HOTS.
18. teaching never gets monotonous
when teaching HOTS.
19. new and better ways of teaching
are always being discovered in
HOTS.
20. it is my duty as a teacher to know
more on my own about HOTS.
21. to be a better teacher, I need con-
tinuous training in HOTS.
22. to be a good teacher, I should
adapt the curriculum to my stu-
dents’ needs even if this involves
extra work.

Items 1 2 3 4 5
23. as a teacher, I should modify the
curriculum for the good of my
students, even if this means not
following the established cur-
riculum.
24. I would rather prepare my stu-
dents to face examinations than
to teach them thinking skills.
25. I have a problem in preparing
my students for examinations
and at the same time teaching
them how to think.
Total
Adapted from Rajendran Nagappan (2001)
Scoring Key
Step 1
For items 1- 8 (Knowledge about Teaching HOTS):
Count the number of check marks (√ ) in each column. As these are positive
items, you multiply the total response in each column by the correspond-
ing number. For example, if you have 1 response in Column 1, multiply 1
by 1 = 1; 1 response in Column 2 will be multiplied by 2 = 2; 2 responses in
Column 3 will be multiplied by 3 = 6; 2 responses in Column 4 will be mul-
tiplied by 4 = 8; and 2 responses in Column 5 will be multiplied by 5 = 10.
Total score for Part I - Knowledge About Teaching HOTS is 27.
Perfect score for Part I, which has eight items, is 40. Thus, the percentage
score for Part I in our example is 27 ÷ 40 × 100 = 67.5%.
Step 2
For items 9-14 (Pedagogical Skills for Teaching HOTS):
Count the number of check marks (√ ) in each column. As these are positive
items, you multiply the total response in each column by the correspond-
ing number. For example, if you have 1 response in Column 1, multiply 1

by 1 = 1; 2 responses in Column 2 will be multiplied by 2 = 4; 1 response
in Column 3 will be multiplied by 3 = 3; 1 response in Column 4 will be
multiplied by 4 = 4; and 1 response in Column 5 will be multiplied by 5 = 5.
Total score for Part II – Pedagogical Skills About Teaching HOTS is 17.
Perfect score for Part II, which has six items, is 30.
Thus, the percentage score for Part II in our example is 17 ÷ 30 × 100 =

56.7%.
Step 3
3.1 For items 16-23 (Beliefs and Attitudes about Teaching HOTS):
Count the number of check marks (√ ) in each column. As these items are
positive items, you multiply the total response in each column by the cor-
responding number. For example, if you have 1 response in Column 1, mul-
tiply 1 by 1 = 1; 1 response in Column 2 will be multiplied by 2 = 2; 2
responses in Column 3 will be multiplied by 3 = 6; 2 responses in Column 4
will be multiplied by 4 = 8; and 2 responses in Column 5 will be multiplied
by 5 = 10. Score is 27.
3.2 For items 15, 24 and 25 (Beliefs and Attitudes about Teaching HOTS):
Count the number of check marks (√ ) in each column. As these three items
are negative items, you multiply the total response in each column using
the reverse order. For example, if you have 1 response in Column 1, mul-
tiply 1 by 5 = 5; 0 response in Column 2 will be multiplied by 4 = 0; 1
response in Column 3 will be multiplied by 3 = 3; 1 response in Column 4
will be multiplied by 2 = 2; and 0 response in Column 5 will be multiplied
by 1 = 0. Score is 10
3.3 For items 15-25 (Beliefs and Attitude about Teaching HOTS)
Total score for Part III – Beliefs and Attitude Skills about Teaching HOTS is
the sum of the score for items 16-23 (27) and the score for items 15, 24, and
25 (10) = 37
Percentage score for Part III is 37 ÷ 55 × 100 = 67.3%

Feedback
The product you obtained for Part I, Part II, and Part III is, respectively,
an approximate percentage of your knowledge, pedagogical skills, and at-
titude and belief about teaching HOTS.
If your score is 80% and above for Parts I, II and III, you have a sound knowl-
edge, good pedagogical skills, and a positive attitude about teaching HOTS.
Good. However, there is still room for improvement if you aim to be a HOTS
teacher in your thinking classroom. Try and source for current research find-
ings in HOTS to learn about new developments regarding this topic.
If your score is between 50-79%, you have a moderately sound knowledge,

moderately good pedagogical skills and a fairly positive attitude about teach-
ing HOTS. You will have to do much better if your goal is to better equip your
students with skills and competencies to face our modern digital world that is
continually engaging in uncertainties and complex challenges.
If your score is 20-49%, you seem to be experiencing challenges regarding

knowledge and pedagogical skills about teaching HOTS. You may also be
having a negative attitude towards teaching HOTS. In the wake of a strong
support for the inclusion of thinking skills instruction in the school curricu-
lum, this is a wake-up call for you. You will need to put in more effort to
build up your working knowledge and repertoire of various techniques to
help your students develop higher order thinking skills. You may have to
consider enrolling in professional development courses in this area.
How did you fare? Share your findings with your co-learners and Flexible
Learning Tutor.

Go back to the “How do You Rate Yourself in Terms of Teaching Higher Order
Thinking Skills (HOTS)?” questionnaire. All 28 items are related to HOTS.
Reflect on the score that you have obtained. What does your score tell you
about your knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values about teaching HOTS?
Write your thoughts on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Let’s Study
Integrating HOTS in the Classroom
You have learned in Module 1 the ways to integrate HOTS in your life as
a teacher. The questionnaire you have just completed, on the other hand,
provided you with a general idea of your HOTS knowledge, skills, atti-
tudes, and values as it applies in your classroom. These learnings — of
integrating HOTS in your daily life and in your life as a teacher— are very
important if you want your students to become ready for the requirements
of the twenty-first century.
Classrooms of this century and beyond will require your students to use a
wide range of thinking skills depending on the type of learning activities
and the instructional objectives of a lesson. You need to equip your stu-
dents with higher cognitive skills becauce many of these learning activities
will go beyond mere memorization of facts and rote learning.
Pause and think about the lessons that you have taught in the past week.
What were your lesson objectives? Can you identify which of these objec-
tives required higher level thinking in your students? Which ones required
lower cognitive skills? Write your reflections in the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Were you able to classify your lesson objectives based on the level of think-
ing skills required of your students? If you identified lesson objectives that
asked students for simple tasks such as identifying, enumerating, and stat-
ing facts and concepts as requiring lower cognitive skills, you are correct.
If you answered that lesson objectives requiring students to explain, ana-
lyze, perform, and create activities/concepts/facts involved higher order
thinking, you are right.
One way to categorize lesson objectives and thinking levels is by using a

taxonomy. A taxonomy is simply a means to classify or put things in an
orderly arrangement. For example, taxonomy puts animals into two main
groups - vertebrates (those with backbone) and invertebrates (those with-
out backbone).
In the field of instruction, lesson objectives, learning behaviors, and think-

ing levels can also be classified using a taxonomy. Can you recall from
Module 1 what this type of taxonomy is? If you answered Bloom’s Tax-
onomy of Educational Objectives, then you are correct. You have learned
in Module 1 that this scheme was devised by Benjamin Bloom in 1956. It
presents an overview of associated thinking skills in a progressive order
of difficulty, from Knowledge (often known as lower order thinking skills,
or LOTS) to Evaluation (often considered as higher order thinking skills, or
HOTS). Knowledge focuses on recitation of facts, while Evaluation requires
more complex judging and assessing of information.
As discussed in Module 1, Bloom’s work was further refined in 2001 by

his colleague, David Krathwohl, and his student, Lorin Anderson. Brief
descriptions and examples of each cognitive level used in the Revised
Bloom’s Taxonomy are also discussed in Module 1.
Do you know what are the differences between Bloom’s Taxonomy and the
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy? Study the table on the next page and find out.

Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain
Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

(1956) (2001)
Knowledge: Remembering or Remembering: Retrieving,
retrieving previously learned recalling or recognizing knowl-
material edge from memory
LOTS
*Examples of related verbs:
know define record
identify recall name
Comprehension: Ability to Understanding: Construct-

grasp or construct meaning ing meaning like interpreting,
from material exemplifying, classifying, summa-
rizing, inferring, comparing, and
explaining
restate identify illustrate
locate discuss interpret
Application: Ability to use Applying: Carrying out, or us-
learned material in new and ing a procedure through execut-
concrete situations ing or implementing
apply organize practise
relate develop demonstrate
Analysis: Ability to break Analyzing: Breaking material
down parts for better under- into parts by differentiating,
standing organizing, and attributing
analyze compare examine
classify categorize discriminate
Synthesis: Ability to put parts Evaluating: Making judge-

together ments through checking and
critiquing
create propose plan
predict formulate construct
Evaluation: Ability to judge, Creating: Putting elements

check, and critique together by reorganizing, gener-
ating, planning or producing
HOTS
argue validate assess
appraise rate infer
Please take note that the examples of verbs shown are not exhaustive. Read
Module 1 for more related words, phrases, and verbs that you can use for
each cognitive level.

Go back to the table on Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain. In comparison
to Bloom’s Taxonomy, what are some of the changes that have been made by
the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy? Write your responses on the lines provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
You may have observed the two main primary changes that have been
made: a change in terms, and a change in emphasis, as shown in the table
below.
Original Domain New Domain

Evaluation Creating
Synthesis Evaluating
Analysis Analyzing
Application Applying
Comprehension Understanding
Knowledge Remembering
Why do you think nouns in Bloom’s Taxonomy have been replaced with
verbs in the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy? Write your response on the lines
below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Did you notice the repositioning of the last two categories? Do you agree
with the repositioning in Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, where Evaluating
precedes Creating? Explain your ideas in the space below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Compare your answers with mine on the next page.

Feedback
There is a rewording of the cognitive domains from nouns in Bloom’s Tax-
onomy to verbs in the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. This change in terms re-
flected thinking as an active process. For example, the Knowledge domain
was renamed to Remembering. The reason for this is that knowledge is a
product of thinking, and not a form of thinking. Thus, Krathwohl and An-
derson (2001) opted for verbs, rather than nouns in their revision of Bloom’s
taxonomy.
There is also a change in emphasis reflected in the repositioning of the last

two categories. In the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, Evaluating precedes Cre-
ating as it is said that before we are able to create something, we need to
evaluate it first. Creating seems to be the most difficult cognitive function
as it requires us to put parts together in a new way, or to synthesize parts
to form a new product.
Were your answers similar to mine? The words or phrases you used may
not exactly be the same, but as long as the ideas are similar, your answers
are correct.

Your tendency to use HOTS in the classroom is largely influenced by sever-
al factors, such as your beliefs and attitude about teaching HOTS, and your
teaching preferences and style. If you recall, in Activity 1.8, you were intro-
duced to a questionnaire that identified how you rated yourself in terms of
teaching HOTS. How did you fare in Part III of that questionnaire? Your
score will give you an indication of your beliefs and attitude about teaching
HOTS.
The self-assessment inventory on the next page contains items that will
help you assess your preferred teaching style and the extent to which you
use HOTS in your classroom. Complete this questionnaire to learn about
your orientation towards HOTS.

Instructions:
Answer the following statements according to the frequency of their occur-

rence in your teaching within a certain time span, either for a whole school
year or for the duration of a full course. For each statement, rate yourself
by placing a check mark (√ ) in the space corresponding to the number you
have selected based on the 5-point Likert Scale.
Remember that this is not a test; therefore, there are no “right” or “wrong”
answers.
Teaching Style Inventory
1 2 3 4 5
Hardly Ever
Occasionally
Sometimes
Frequently
Almost Always
Item
When I teach my class, it is most likely that I would:

1. include students’ life experiences or prior
knowledge when I introduce a concept.
2. require students to learn by doing creative
problem-solving exercises and projects.
3. engage students in problems that are out-
side the realm of possibility to force them
to think creatively.
4. cultivate scholarship and independent
thinking/reasoning skills by providing op-
tional assignments that can be done outside
of class.
5. tie up concepts with applications in the real
world.
6. institute a regularly scheduled time where
students practice their use of problem-
solving.
7. guide students in their desire to invent new
methods for solving problems.
8. introduce students to the possibility that for
some problems, there are no “right” answers.
9. capitalize on student curiosity about unfa-

miliar situations.

1 2 3 4 5
Hardly Ever
Occasionally
Sometimes
Frequently
Almost Always
Item
10. supply time for explanation and discovery

where students have the opportunity to
answer their “what if” questions.
11. allow students to create their own problem
solution process.
12. present scenarios involving many concepts
that provide material for class discussions
about predictions and solutions.
13. try to provide a rationale for learning that
motivates students based upon relating
what they are taught with what they know
to help them later in life.
14. foster creative problem-solving that has
some element of discovery embedded, forc-
ing students to find the new rule or principle.
15. walk around while students are working,
asking them questions about their problem-
solving process or procedures.
16. encourage different approaches to problem-
solving that help students understand their
reasoning skills and processes.
17. assist students in moving gradually from
representing information concretely to rep-
resenting information symbolically.
18. establish activities that require collecting
and analysis of data, making conclusions
and predictions from it, followed by group
reflection in the fundamental concepts in-
volved in data collection and analysis.
19. ask open-ended questions that allow stu-
dents to explore their ideas and creative
thoughts in whatever direction they choose.
20. expand the ability of students to transfer
their knowledge to new situations by incor-
porating project-based approaches.
TOTAL
[Source: Adapted from Teaching Style Inventory (CORD, 2005)]

Scoring Key
Step 1:
Count the number of check marks (√ ) in each column. Then, multiply the
total response in each column by the corresponding number. For example,
if you have 2 responses in Column 1, multiply 2 by 1; 3 responses in Column
2 will be multiplied by 2; 4 responses in Column 3 will be multiplied by 3;
4 responses in Column 4 will be multiplied by 4; and 5 responses in Column
5 will be multiplied by 5.
Total response in Column 1 2 x 1 = 2

Total score : 70
Minimum score: 20 x 1 = 20
Maximum score: 20 x 5 = 100
Step 2:
To convert your total score to percentage: 70 ÷ 100 × 100 = 70%
Feedback
The product you obtained from Step 2 is an indication of the extent you use
HOTS in your classroom.
If your percentage score is 80% and above, you are using HOTS extensively
in your classroom. If your percentage score is between 50% and 79%, you are
using HOTS moderately in your classroom. If your percentage score is be-
tween 20% and 49%, you may be occasionally using HOTS in your classroom.
You can also compare the result you obtained with your perception to-
wards teaching HOTS to see if your knowledge, pedagogical skills, and
beliefs and attitude about teaching HOTS is the same as the extent you use
HOTS in your classroom. It will reveal if there is a relationship between
your perception about teaching HOTS and your usage of HOTS in your
instruction.

How did you score? You now have a basis for looking at your orienta-
tion towards a thinking curriculum in general, and using HOTS in your
instruction, in particular. There seems to be a growing emphasis towards
the teacher’s role as facilitator as opposed to that of the content expert.
In today’s thinking classrooms, students are taking charge of their own

learning and taking the initiative for meeting the demands of various learn-
ing tasks. Learning is now viewed as an active process where students con-
struct knowledge as a result of interaction with the physical and social en-
vironment. In addition, learning is also shifting focus from acquiring basic
facts and skills to connecting new information with prior knowledge; from
depending solely on one single authority (the teacher) to accepting multi-
ple sources of knowledge that are accessible in cyberspace. Hence your role
is now virtually seen as the “guide by the side” which seems to provide the
appropriate platform for HOTS infusion. Thus, if you are not already doing
it now, perhaps you can consider changing your teaching style to that of a
facilitator in the instructional process of a thinking classroom.
You can continue to reflect on this as you go about your day-to-day class-
room routines and instruction in a thinking classroom. You may discuss
your reflections with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Remember
In this lesson, you learned that:
• In the wake of global changes there is a need to infuse thinking skills

into the content areas of instruction.
• To transform existing classrooms into thinking classrooms, certain

important considerations have to be made to the existing curriculum.
• The traditional curriculum has to be replaced with the thinking

curriculum, which emphasizes thinking skills.
• Thinking skills can be categorized using taxonomies such as Bloom’s

Taxonomy and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• Bloom’s Taxonomy consists of six thinking skills in the cognitive

domain ranging in progressive order of difficulty from Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, to Evaluation.
• The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy rewords the skills in Bloom’s Tax-

onomy from nouns to verbs as well as repositioning two of the
higher order thinking skills, where Evaluating precedes Creating.
• The extent to which HOTS is used in classroom is influenced by a

number of factors: one’s knowledge, pedagogical skills, beliefs and
attitude about teaching HOTS and one’s preferred teaching style.

How Much Have You Learned From This
Lesson?
You may now complete this short review test to examine how much you
have learned from this lesson.
Part I: Select and encircle the best answer for each of the questions below.
1. In order to be skilful thinkers, students should
a. Work independently and at their own pace.

b. Call out their ideas spontaneously.
c. Be cautious and not take risks.
d. Think for themselves and not depend on teachers for answers.
2. Which of the following statements best describes the importance of

thinking skills? Thinking skills
a. Fulfill human needs and meet the demands of the labor market.
b. Emphasize mastery of the basics in education.
c. Equip children with a range of competencies for an unpredictable
future.
d. Develop an awareness of different problems in different contexts.
3. Which of the following is a higher order thinking question?
a. What is the relationship between an ant and a cockroach?

b. What facts would you select to show that he is the suspect?
c. How did the fire spread to the entire block of shop houses?
d. How would you summarize what happened at the scene of the
accident?
4. Which of the following answers have action words that correspond to

the given cognitive level of Bloom’s Taxonomy?
a. Tabulate, explain, identify, compare – Knowledge

b. Illustrate, predict, label, relate – Application
c. Debate, infer, select, compare - Analysis
d. Rank, solve, support, convince – Evaluate

Part II : Read the excerpt below and answer questions 1-6.
In her Values and Morals class, Ms Linda asked her Grade Six students
to read the following story that she had projected on the screen using the
LCD. She allocated ten minutes for them to read it silently to themselves.
One day, a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country, so he
could show his son how poor country people live. They stayed one day and one
night in the home of a very humble farmer.
At the end of the trip, and when they were back home, the father asked his son,
“What did you think of the trip? Did you notice how poor they were?”
The son replied, “Yes.” The father continued asking, “What did you learn?”
The son responded, “I learned that we have one dog in our house, and they have
four. Also, we have a fountain in our garden, but they have a stream that has
no end. And we have imported lamps in our garden, but they have the stars!
And our garden goes to the edge of our property. But they have the entire ho-
rizon as their back yard!”
At the end of the son’s reply the father was speechless. His son then said,
“Thank you, Dad, for showing me how poor we really are.”
~ Author unknown~
At the end of the silent reading session, Ms Linda used oral questions to
assess her students’ understanding of the story. Identify whether each of
the questions below can be categorized as HOTS questions or otherwise.
Place a check mark (√ ) on the space provided for a HOTS question and a
cross mark (X) if the question is not a HOTS question. Give a reason for
your answer.
___ 1. Where did the wealthy family man go with his son?
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

___ 2. Why did the father take his son on the trip?
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___ 3. How long were they away from home?
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___ 4. Enumerate the things that the son saw in the farmer’s house.
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___ 5. Compare and contrast the father’s and son’s definition of “poor.”
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___ 6. What is the moral of the story?
Reason: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Part III

1. How does Bloom’s Taxonomy differ from the Revised Bloom’s
Taxonomy?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Feedback
To check your answers, please turn to pages 136-140.
If you have correctly answered all the eleven questions, you already know
how to transform your classroom into a thinking classroom. If you obtained
ten points, you are still doing alright; just review the item(s) you missed.
If you managed to obtain five out of eleven correct answers, you need to
go back to all the lesson topics and discussions once more. Then write the
correct answers for the items you missed.
After completing this lesson, you may now proceed to Lesson Two which
will examine, in more detail, how you will plan to integrate HOTS in your
instruction, and apply instructional strategies to enhance your students’
HOTS. You will also construct a scoring rubric to evaluate HOTS.

Lesson
2
Strengthening My Teaching
Through Thinking Strategies
What Is This Lesson About?

In the previous lesson, you learned how to transform your classroom into
a thinking classroom. In order to do this, you focused on three educational
tasks: organizing your classroom into a thinking classroom; ensuring that
your curriculum has all the characteristics of a thinking curriculum; and
examining the extent to which you use higher thinking skills (HOTS) in
your instruction.
In this lesson, you will be focusing on how to strengthen your teaching

using thinking strategies. Basically, you will be examining some thinking
strategies or tools that will enhance your students’ HOTS. However, it is
important for you to remember that a particular thinking strategy or tool
does not only enhance one particular HOTS, but a combination of various
HOTS.
This lesson will help you answer the following questions:
• How will I integrate HOTS in my instruction?
• How will I apply teaching strategies that will enhance my students’

creative thinking, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-
solving and decision- making skills?
• How will I design a scoring rubric to assess HOTS in my instruction?
The scenarios presented in this lesson may be somewhat similar to the ones
you often find in your classroom.

After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
• Plan how to integrate HOTS in your instruction.
• Apply teaching strategies that will enhance your students’ creative

thinking, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving
and decision-making skills.
• Design a scoring rubric to assess HOTS in your instruction.

Read the following conversation between two novice teachers, Mrs. Tanya
and Ms. Sham, and a master teacher, Mr. Gopal. Reflect on the situation of
each of the two novice teachers.
Mrs. Tanya: My students seem able to answer all the factual ques-
tions that I ask during the lesson. The same goes for
the worksheet exercises that examine their knowledge
about the topic that has just been taught. They are able
to finish them in ten minutes because they say that the
tasks were so easy. How can I challenge them mentally?
Ms. Sham: For my students, the problem is during the class activ-
ity. After I divide them into small groups, I give them
instructions on how to complete the task. For instance,
today, I listed the steps for folding a paper bird. Guess
what! Within five minutes, everyone had an identical
paper bird to show me. How can I make them more
creative?
(Both see Mr. Gopal, a master teacher, walking over to where they are
seated.)
Mrs. Tanya: Hello, Mr. Gopal! Care to join us in our discussion?
Mr. Gopal: I would love to!

Answer the following questions. Write your response on the space provided.
1. What seems to be the problem in the classrooms of Mrs. Tanya and

Ms. Sham?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In your opinion, what professional assistance could Mr. Gopal offer to

Mrs. Tanya and Ms. Sham to resolve their problems?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Are your answers the same as mine? Read on to find out.
Let’s Study
Planning to Integrate HOTS in My Instruction:
The Three Elements
How did you answer the questions in Activity 2.1? If you mentioned that
the two issues that seem to pose a problem for the two teachers in the given
scenario are related to integrating learning activities that would (1.) moti-
vate and mentally challenge the students, and (2.) promote their creativity,
then, you are correct! Both Mrs. Tanya and Ms. Sham are having a diffi-
cult time in their classrooms because the learning activities are very simple
and do not encourage the use of higher thinking processes. Perhaps the
two teachers are not yet fully confident in integrating HOTS in their class-
room instruction and are merely teaching to achieve their pre-determined
instructional objectives.

In your classroom, have you found yourself in a predicament similar to
what Mrs. Tanya and Ms. Sham have experienced? If so, would you like
to learn techniques for integrating HOTS in your classroom instruction to
motivate and mentally challenge your students? Read on and find out.
There are techniques to integrate HOTS in the teaching and learning pro-
cess to develop the thinking skills and learning behaviors of your students.
These techniques, or strategies, fall under three general elements in the in-
struction process:
A. Effective Questioning
B. Instructional Approaches
C. Learning Activities
Let’s learn more about techniques in integrating HOTS in the following pages.
A. Effective Questioning
Remember the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in Lesson One? You have learned
that thinking skills fall under two categories: lower order and higher or-
der thinking skills. Effective questioning means that during a lesson, you
will need to use both lower order questions and higher order questions.
While lower order questions test your students’ skills related to knowing
and understanding, higher order questions challenge and promote stu-
dents’ problem-solving, reasoning and analytical skills as they engage in
their own learning. Research findings have revealed, however, that a large
majority of teachers ask questions that relate to only recall, memorization,
and comprehension.
If you remember, Mrs. Tanya was complaining that her students gave re-
sponses to her factual questions very quickly and finished her worksheet
questions in a very short time. This happened probably because her oral
and written questions were questions under the remembering category
which may have included the following examples:
• What is a _________?
• Define the term ________.
• Who did _________?
• When did ___________ take place?
• List the _________.

If you noticed, the answer to each of these questions would have been ex-
plicitly provided during the lesson or in the text. Recalling facts and memo-
rizing dates are considered “wading-pool” excursions into learning. One
or two of these questions may be good for starting the classroom discus-
sion just to warm students up. But as the discussion proceeds, students
need to dive deep into learning and they can only do so through in-depth
thinking. Therefore, instead of asking only factual questions, Mrs. Tanya
should have also asked higher order questions that required her students
to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The table below outlines a HOTS tem-
plate based on the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy showing some examples of
higher order questions.
Higher Order Thinking Template
Analyzing
(Examining and separating the whole into
component parts, making inferences)
Examples of questions:
• How does ________ relate to …? • How would you classify …?
• How would you categorize …? • What evidence can you find
• How does ______ compare with …?
____ ? • What inference can you
make…?
Evaluating
(Making judgements about information, validity of ideas, or quality of
work based on a set of criteria)
• What is your opinion of …? • What would you
• How would you justify…? recommend..?
• How would you decide about • How would you prioritize
________________? …?
• Why was it better that …?
• Which is the most important
_____________?

Creating
(Combining ideas to form a new pattern,
or proposing alternative solutions)
• What changes would you make • What way would you design
to solve …? …?
• How would you adapt ___ to • What could be combined to
create a different …? improve …?
• How would you predict the
outcome if …?
• What solutions would
you suggest for
__________________?
Adapted from Manzo, A. V. & Manzo, U.C.,(2000)

As you improve your questioning skills from asking lower order thinking
questions to higher order thinking questions, you will discover that the
golden rule is: Ask open-ended questions. For example, ask questions that
begin with, ““Why do you think ..?”, “How would it have made a differ-
ence if …?”, and so on.
To illustrate what this means, read the following questions.
(i) What color of bag was she carrying?
(ii) Why do you think did she carry that color of bag?
(iii) How would it have made a difference if she had carried a different
color of bag?
Compared to the first question, the second and third questions are higher
order thinking questions because they stimulate students’ thinking.
To obtain a better understanding of higher order thinking questions, read

the following story taken from Aesop’s Fables and then answer the ques-
tions that follow.

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
(Source: www.aesopfables.com/),
Once upon a time a wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure
food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured with the flock
deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening he was shut up by the
shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly
secure. But the shepherd, returning to the fold during the night to obtain meat
for the next day, mistakenly caught up the wolf instead of a sheep, and killed
him instantly.
Based on the story, “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” construct two ques-
tions for each of the six levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Remembering:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
Understanding:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
Applying:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
Analyzing:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
Evaluating:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
Creating:
(i) ___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________

Feedback
Check your answers with those on pages 140-141. Your answers may not be
worded exactly as those in the Key to Correction, but as long as you have in-
cluded some of the action words you have learned in constructing questions
for each different level in the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, your answers
are correct.
Let’s Study
B. Instructional Approaches
Instructional approaches make up the second element in the teaching and

learning process where you can integrate HOTS. The approach that you
use in the classroom is fundamental in building your students’ under-
standing. However, the approach you use is dependent on your teaching
goals. If your intent is to impart information or transmit knowledge (in-
struction), then you will use the teacher-centered approach. If, however,
you are teaching to meet your students’ needs, then you will use the stu-
dent-centered approach with emphasis on student participation. It is said
that student-centered approaches produce optimal student outcomes.
Some practical and effective instructional approaches commonly used to

integrate HOTS in the classroom include the following:
1. Cognitive Acceleration Approaches
2. ‘Brain-based’ Approaches
3. Philosophical Approaches
Are you already familiar with these three approaches? In the following
section, we will examine each of them in order to give you a clearer picture.
We will now take a closer look at the first approach to teaching HOTS in
the classroom
1. Cognitive Acceleration Approaches
The Cognitive Acceleration Approaches are an extension of the Cognitive

Acceleration Through Science Education (CASE) project that was original-
ly developed by Adey and Shayer in the 1980s.

Under the CASE approach, you, as teacher-facilitator, will gradually lead
the students to discover the answer themselves. At times, you will give
clues that send them towards the right direction, thereby improving the
chance of successful thinking and “accelerating” it. Throughout the learn-
ing process, you will ask probing questions such as “What do you think?”,
“Which one is a more likely solution?” “What do you think about … idea?”.
Basically, the cognitive acceleration approach follows the following steps:
1. Concrete preparation. The teacher gives an introduction which sets the

scene for the topic to be taught, links the activity to current knowledge,
and explains the task.
2. Cognitive conflict. The teacher presents a challenge that needs to be

solved. This challenge must be just above the students’ current level
of knowledge. In other words, it is difficult enough to be a challenge,
but not so difficult as to discourage the students. For example, in an
English reading lesson, students read a science fiction text which has an
unexpected ending.
3. Social construction dialogue. In groups, students suggest solutions, try

out ideas, and act as mediators for one another. Then they are brought
together as a class to share their ideas. Once again, the teacher does not
provide the answer. When one group presents their solutions, another
group is asked if they agree or disagree, and why. The discussion
continues until a group consensus is reached. Throughout the process,
the teacher leads the group towards the answer through questioning.
4. Metacognition. The teacher’s questions are designed in such a way as

to reveal the thinking process where students have to verbalize their
line of thinking, as well as reflect on how they tackled the problem.
This metacognitive process is said to be highly effective in securing
knowledge.
5. Bridging. The students need to link the new learning with existing
experiences or apply it to daily life.

Read an example below of a thinking lesson using the CASE approach and
its steps, and then, answer the question that follows.
Critical Incident
Let’s Think
Teacher Adam’s students work in groups of six on an activity, called ‘Hoop

Game.’ The teaching strategy used is an oral discussion based on a variety
of objects. Teacher Adams starts the lesson by getting his students to agree
on a common language to describe the objects used. Next, he gives out the
instructions, “You are required to put green toy dinosaurs in one hoop and
T-Rex dinosaurs in another hoop.” The students are challenged cognitively
as one of the dinosaurs is a green T-Rex. In their own respective groups, they
discuss, argue, dispute, disagree, and compromise to arrive at the correct
solution or possible solutions to solve the task. Throughout the activity, Teacher
Adams reminds them to defend their ideas by saying, “I think we should …
because”, “I disagree with you because…,” and so on. He encourages them to
reflect on the problem by asking them questions such as, “What do you think
we have to consider?”, “How did you arrive at this solution?” He also guides
them with hints and prompts towards the idea of overlapping the hoops, so that
they can put the ‘misfit’ dinosaur at the intersecting zone.
What activities demonstrate that Teacher Adam applies the five steps of
CASE? Write your answers in the table below.
CASE Structure Activity Manifesting the Structure
Concrete preparation
Cognitive conflict
Social construction dialogue
Metacognition
Bridging

Feedback
Now compare your answers with mine below.
If you recall, the activities in the “Hoop Game” are designed as a problem
that needs to be solved, thereby creating a context for developing thinking.
The students were walked through the five steps as proposed in the cogni-
tive acceleration approach in the following manner:
Case Structure Activity manifesting the structure

Concrete Teacher Adam starts the lesson by getting his stu-
preparation dents to agree on a common language to describe the
objects used. Next, he gives out the instructions for
the students to put green toy dinosaurs in one hoop
and T-Rex dinosaurs in another hoop.
Cognitive conflict The students are challenged cognitively because one
of the dinosaurs is a green T-Rex. This means that
one object possessed both the two characteristics that
should be used for segregating the objects.
Social In their own respective groups, the students discuss,
construction argue, dispute, disagree, and compromise to arrive
dialogue at the correct solution or possible solutions to solve
the task. Throughout the activity, Teacher Adams
reminds them to defend their ideas by saying, “I
think we should … because”, “I disagree with you
because…,” and so on.
Metacognition He encourages them to reflect on the problem by ask-

ing them questions such as, “What do you think we
have to consider?”, “How did you arrive at this solu-
tion?” He also guides them with hints and prompts
towards the idea of overlapping the hoops, so that
they can put the ‘misfit’ dinosaur at the intersecting
zone.
Bridging At the end of the lesson, Mr. Adam asks them to
describe an experience at home where they faced a
cognitive challenge, and how they solved the problem.
In the process, they had to expand their thinking to produce a new idea.
When they did this, they were better able to make sense of their learning,
thus improving their general achievement.

Using the five steps of the CASE Approach, briefly describe how you would
teach a topic on “Pollution.” Write your answer on the lines provided.
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Feedback
Compare your answers with those on pages 141-142. Your answers may
not be worded exactly the same as the Key to Correction. As long as the
thoughts you have expressed in your answers match with those given,
your answers are correct.
You have just learned the five steps in the cognitive acceleration approach
as well as how these steps are applied to a classroom activity that develops
thinking. Now that you have also applied this approach to teach a sample
topic, I am sure you have a better idea how this approach can be used to
teach HOTS in your classroom.
Let’s Study
Now let us examine the second type of instructional approach for teaching
HOTS, that is, “brain-based” approach. As you read about this approach,
try and see how it compares with the cognitive acceleration approach you
have just learned.
2. “Brain-based” Approaches

The findings of contemporary research about the anatomical functions
of the human brain as well as about the brain’s vastness, complexity,
and potential have inspired the types of teaching approaches that
teachers use in the classroom. Teachers begin to understand the effect of

emotions such as anxiety, and stress on learning, as well as the workings
of memory systems and motivation. As a result, some teachers view
instruction, testing, grading, and the organizational structure of
classrooms and schools from a new perspective.
Accelerated Learning, originally developed in the 1970s by Georgi Lozanov,

is an example of a “brain-based” approach. This systematic approach to
teaching the whole person contains core elements that, when combined,
enable our students to learn faster, joyfully, and more effectively. These
core elements include the following:
(i) comfortable physical environment;
(ii) music, such as baroque music to relax and focus, and upbeat music
to energize;
(iii)peripherals, such as posters and visuals to reinforce lessons;
(iv) tonality of teacher’s speech (pitch, tone, tempo) to capture and

sustain students’ attention;
(v) positive atmosphere for example teacher-student rapport, use of

positive statements;
(vi) art and drama to enliven lessons;
(vii)active and passive concerts such as storytelling; and
(vii)teaching frame that links all the elements together.
Reflect on a lesson that you taught during the past week. To what extent
did you apply the core elements enumerated above? What was the impact
on your students’ learning? Write your reflections on the lines below.
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Let’s Read
DePorter’s Quantum Learning Teaching Frame
We will now continue by exploring further about Accelerated Learning

that can be orchestrated using various teaching frames proposed by sev-
eral distinguished practitioners. For the purpose of this module, we will
examine DePorter’s Quantum Learning Teaching Frame.
Briefly, it consists of six levels, namely, (i) enroll, (ii) experience, (iii) label,
(iv) demonstrate, (v) review, and (vi) celebrate. Can you try and match the
six levels with their meanings?
Using the words’ meanings as cues, connect the items in the two columns
below with lines.
Column A Column B
1. Enrol a. Engage the students in an activity like a game

that adds fun, meaning and relevance to the
learning.
2. Experience b. Reinforce new learning to increase retention.
3. Label c. Present the content to be taught at the peak of

their interest and discuss its relevance to their
daily lives.
4. Demonstrate d. Provide opportunities for transfer of knowledge

and learning to other situations.
5. Review e. Bring the lesson to a closure by saying words

of acknowledgment, playing upbeat music, or
giving a class cheer.
6. Celebrate f. Start off with an interesting opening statement

that arouses your students’ curiosity.
Read on to check how well you were able to match the steps of DePorter’s
Quantum Learning Teaching Frame with their meanings.

Steps of DePorter’s Quantum Learning Teaching Frame
(i) Enroll. You start off with an interesting opening statement that
arouses your students’ curiosity, makes them excited and raises
their expectations. You also present a holistic picture of the lesson,
without giving too much details.
(ii) Experience. Allow them to experience the lesson using an engaging

activity like a game that adds fun, meaning and relevance to the
learning, besides creating a need for them to explore, and making
connections with their prior knowledge.
(iii) Label. Present the content to be taught at the peak of their interest and
discuss its relevance to their daily lives. This is to draw advantage
from their natural desire to sequence and define new learning
(iv) Demonstrate. Provide opportunities for transfer of knowledge and

learning to other situations. Give extra activities to reinforce what
they know and to enhance their confidence.
(v) Review. Reinforce new learning to increase retention.
(vi) Celebrate. Bring the lesson to a closure by saying words of

acknowledgment, playing upbeat music, or giving a class cheer.

Remember the reflection you did on page 66? You thought about the extent
you might have applied the core elements of Accelerated Learning to your
lessons during the past week. If you noted that applying the core elements
of comfortable physical environment, music, peripherals, etc., produced an
improvement in your students’ learning, congratulations! It shows that you
have effectively applied the elements of Accelerated Learning.
In the critical incident on the next page, you will read the situation of a fel-
low teacher, who uses the Accelerated Learning Approach in her teaching.
The sample lesson will also help you to understand even better how to ap-
ply the Accelerated Learning approach.
As you study the critical incident, try to identify the six levels used by Mrs.
Kaur in her lesson. Write your answers on the table that follows.

Critical Incident
Mrs. Kaur greets her Year 5 students at the door with, “Good morning! We’re
all going to enjoy today’s lesson.” The physical environment in the classroom
emanates a positive learning environment: well-lit, airy, desks and chairs
arranged in clusters of four, and instruction flow charts of previous lessons
posted on bulletin boards.
Mrs. Kaur begins her geography lesson by saying, “Imagine that your school
is situated at the foot of a hill slope. Suddenly, you hear a loud noise and
before you can say,”Hey, Pestro!”, you see mud falling down from the ceiling
– the roof has caved in and the classroom walls are collapsing on you and your
classmates. What are you going to do?”
After the game which lasts for five minutes, Mrs. Kaur proceeds by giving an
overview of the effects of weather conditions, tree-felling, and hill-leveling
on the incidence of landslides. Using simulation effects, students role-play to
figure out how they might survive in the event of a landslide. Upon completion
of the activity, Mrs. Kaur asks them, “Would you have survived anyway?”
She then shows a video clip about landslide victims and their traumatic
experiences. The students then go back to their simulation to apply their new
learning as evidence that “I did learn something!” Mrs. Kaur continues the
lesson using pictures and questions written on flash cards for students to call
out individual answers.
She then ends the lesson with a short movie about landslides. In pairs, students
share what they have learned, and shout “Hurrah!” as they celebrate their
learning.
Accelerated Learning Level Evidence

(Clues in Mrs. Kaur’s Lesson)
Enroll
Experience
Label
Demonstrate
Review
Celebrate

Feedback
Compare your answers with those on pages 142-143. If you got all the six
levels correct, congratulations! You may now proceed to the next section.
If you got five out of the six levels correct, that’s acceptable. Just review the
item you missed. If you were only able to correctly answer four or less of
the six levels, you are advised to review the section on Accelerated Learn-
ing. Pay particular attention to the levels where you answered incorrectly.
In this section, you have learned how Accelerated Learning is one of the
brain-based approaches that can be used to teach HOTS in the classroom.
There are six levels for implementing this approach that aim to focus on
emotions as well as the mental processes and motivation to stimulate stu-
dents’ interest in learning. After you have applied one of the teaching
frames in Accelerated Learning, that is the Quantum Learning Teaching
Frame in a sample topic, I am sure you will be excited to try this out in your
real classroom teaching.

Now you are ready to learn about the third instructional approach in in-
tegrating HOTS, that is, the philosophical approach. What do you think
about the phrase, “Philosophy for Children”? Would you agree that we can
engage children in philosophy? Write your thoughts on the lines below.
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Let’s Read
3. Philosophical Approaches
If you thought that philosophical thinking is thinking in reasonable and re-

flective ways, you are right! And as a teacher who supports and promotes
HOTS among students, you believe that, for sure, children can be engaged
in the philosophical process.

“Philosophy for Children” or P4C is a form of dialogic teaching which gives
emphasis to the development of critical and creative thinking through
questioning and dialogue between children and teachers and between chil-
dren and children. P4C provides opportunities for developing the follow-
ing aspects of thinking (Fisher, 2006):
1. Information-processing skills – through seeking the meaning of con-

cepts and ideas using questions, for example, “What do we know
from this?”, “What do we not know?”, “What do we need to know?”
2. Enquiry skills – through asking relevant questions, and posing

problems using questions, such as, “What do we want to find out?”,
“What questions do we want to ask?”, “What are the problems?”
3. Reasoning skills – through reading, discussion, and writing to make

inferences and draw conclusions using questions, such as, “What
can we infer?”, “Can we explain what it means?”
4. Creative thinking skills – through applying imagination to thinking

and ideas, and suggesting possible explanations using questions,
such as, “Is there another possible viewpoint?”, “How could it have
been different?”
5. Evaluation skills – through making judgement on debatable issues,

evaluating ideas and contributions of others, and practicing being
self-critical and self-correcting using questions, such as, “What have
we learned from this enquiry?”, “What do we still need to know?”
The P4C Teaching Strategy
Now that you know the P4C teaching strategy and its importance, let us see
how you can apply it in your classroom.
First of all, you need to arrange the children to sit in a circle or in a horse-
shoe formation so that everyone can see everyone else. Afterwards, follow
the typical P4C stages in a lesson:
1. Focusing Exercise. Inform the children about the instructional

objectives and ground rules. You may also use a relaxation exercise,
or a thinking game to ensure student attentiveness and alertness.

2. Sharing a stimulus. Use a story, poem, or video clips to stimulate
thinking.
3. Thinking time. In pairs, the children think and share their thoughts
about what is strange, interesting, or unusual about the stimulus.
4. Questioning. The children’s individual or their partner’s questions

are written on the board. One question is then selected to start the
enquiry.
5. Discussion. Children give their responses and elaborate on other

children’s ideas. They also give suitable reasons, examples, and
other viewpoints based on probes made by the teacher.
6. Plenary. The discussion is reviewed and children are given the

opportunity to do reflections. The teacher establishes links to real
world situations and gives homework.

You have just learned how to use the six steps in the P4C teaching strategy.
How would you use these steps to teach a unit in your subject? Write down
your thoughts on the lines below.
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Let’s Study
Socratic Questioning
The P4C “talking to think” lesson stages described above help to move the
discussion from “what” happened and “why,” to thinking about “what it
means.” Using Socratic questioning or the act of posing a series of ques-
tions, you will be able to progressively engage your students to higher lev-
els of thinking. The following are three levels of thinking and some exam-
ples of questions for each.

1. Literal or factual questions. These questions ask for information.
For example: “What is this about?”, “Can you remember what
happened?”
2. Analytical questions. These questions require critical and creative

thinking.
For example: “What questions do you have?”, “What reasons can
you give?”
3. Conceptual questions. These questions demand abstract thinking.

For example: “What is the key concept?” “What does it mean?”
P4C is not just “talking shop” or an exercise in continuous discussion. Re-

search findings show that P4C programmes enhance students’ academic
achievement, their self-esteem and self-concept as thinkers and learners,
the quality of their creative thinking and verbal reasoning, and their abil-
ity to listen to others and engage actively in class discussion. “Talking for
children” is known to be an intellectual and exciting undertaking.

P4C seems to be an effective instructional approach for teaching HOTS in
the classroom. In order to examine your skills in Socratic questioning, read
the following story adapted from Aesop’s Fables, and then, answer the
questions that follow.
The Miser
A Miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a
hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of
his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his
movements. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging
down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit,
found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations.
A neighbour, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said,
“Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and
fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service;
for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest
use of it.”

Construct two questions for each level of Socratic questioning for the story,
“The Miser.” Write your answers on the space provided.
1. Literal
(a) ___________________________________________________________
(b) ___________________________________________________________
2. Analytical
(a) ___________________________________________________________
(b) ___________________________________________________________
3. Conceptual
(a) ___________________________________________________________
(b) ___________________________________________________________
Feedback
Compare your answers with those on page 143. Your answers may not
be worded exactly the same, but as long as the ideas you have given agree
with those in the Key to Correction, your answers are correct.
Now that you have applied what you have learned about the three levels of
Socratic questioning, I am sure you are ready to use P4C in your classroom.

Does your school conduct student evaluations at the end of each school
year? If so, what are the usual comments that you receive from your stu-
dents? What do they say about the learning activities in your classroom?
Reflect on these questions and write your thoughts on the lines below.
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Discuss your reflections with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Study
You might have written that you encourage students to give you feedback.
Based on their comments, you might have learned that your students find
the learning activities in your classroom mentally challenging and engag-
ing for them. Well done, if that’s the case. If not, then the next lesson will
help you engage your students in learning activities that develop their
higher cognitive levels.
Let us now study the third element in the instructional process, the learning
activities, where you can plan to integrate HOTS.
C. Learning Activities
If you remember, Ms. Sham complained that her students finished the in-
dividual learning task of folding a paper bird in a short time. The reason
for this could be related to the learning activity given to them. If you real-
ize, learning activities should clearly involve thinking skills that involve
“What to do” and “How to do it.” In Ms Sham’s paper-folding activity, her
students were not given the opportunity to think of “how to do it.” Rather
than working alone according to a given set of instructions, Ms Sham could
have allowed her students to discuss in pairs about the task of folding a
paper bird. This ‘Think-Pair-Share’ strategy will provide them the oppor-
tunity to generate ideas, hear another’s views, widen their knowledge and
understanding, allow for thinking time, and articulate their thoughts.
When planning learning activities for your lesson, it is also useful for you to
bear in mind the following key questions. They serve as constant remind-
ers to you to check the level and extent to which HOTS is being integrated.
Does the activity require your students to:
• Engage in rehearsal of ideas and knowledge, or merely just retention

and recall?
• Reconstruct knowledge and ideas?
• Use higher order thinking (e.g., analysis, synthesis, and evaluation)

appropriately and extensively?

The learning activities in the following table show some examples of how
higher order thinking can be promoted in your students for different con-
tent areas, such as science, mathematics, and social science. For your easy
reference, you can read Examples of Activities that Promote Higher Order
Thinking in Annex A at the end of this module on pages 164-169.
Sample Learning Activities for Promoting Higher Order Thinking
Classify • Given several examples of each, classify these animals as

carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores (science).
• Given a series of fractions, classify them into categories
of proper fractions, improper fractions or mixed
fractions (mathematics).
• Given photographs of various landmarks, classify them
according to geographical locations (social science).
Diagram • Diagram the life cycle of a butterfly (science).
• Construct a pie chart according to demography based on
the statistics given (mathematics).
• Construct a line graph showing the pattern of drug
abuse among youths (social science).
• Construct a model of the human heart (science).
Construct • Given the diameter, compass and paper, construct a circle
(mathematics).
• Given the appropriate materials, design a satellite town-
ship (social science).
Predict • From a description of the earth movements, predict the
incidence of an earthquake (science).
• Predict the next term of a given geometric progression
(mathematics).
• Predict the kind of lifestyle in the next century (social
science).
Evaluate • Given the types of materials, evaluate each one and
identify those that are the best conductors of heat
(science).
• Given the types of household expenditure, evaluate each
and identify the best percentage allocation for savings
(mathematics).
• Compare and contrast the different activities in a day
and identify the best number of hours allocated for
leisure (social science).

Examine some of the learning activities that you give your students for
the subject you teach. Compare them with the full sample list of learning
activities in Annex A. Do your learning activities integrate HOTS? How
would you plan your learning activities differently in order to integrate
HOTS? Write your responses on the lines provided.
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Discuss your thoughts with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Read the following scenario.
Mr. Olivero and his students are planning for their class educational field
trip. He gives them two options: either go to a hill resort to learn more about
tea cultivation, or go to an island fishing village to see how fishermen make
a livelihood from catching fish. He provides further information for them to
work on: The hill resort is situated 200 kilometers away, whereas the island is
100 kilometers away. However, to reach the island, they have to take the ferry.
He reminds them that they have limited funds for this trip. Nevertheless, the
school bus is available to take them to and from whichever venue.
Given the above conditions, how will Mr. Olivero’s students arrive at a
good suggestion for the venue of their educational visit?
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Share and discuss your responses with your co-learners and Flexible Learning
Tutor. Read on for further feedback and analysis of the case of Mr. Olivero.
Let’s Study
Enhancing my Students’ HOTS: The Three Strategies
Go back to the above scenario. In order for his students to make good sound
decisions based on certain conditions, Mr. Olivero can make use of think-
ing strategies or tools. If you notice, there is a wealth of commercial think-
ing skills materials that are available on the Net. However, in the context of
this discussion, you will learn the following thinking tools:
A. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

B. Thinker’s Keys
C. Graphic Organizers
Are you familiar with these three thinking tools? To begin with, let us learn
more about the first, that is, De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats.
A. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
Are you aware that the Six Thinking Hats is a useful thinking tool for group
decision and individual thinking? It is based on the premise that we can
programme our brain to think in a structured way, thus enabling us to de-
velop strategies for thinking and making decisions about a specific issue.
According to De Bono, some of us think from a rational and positive view-

point. Others, however, may consider problems from the emotional, intui-
tive, creative or negative viewpoints that makes them resistant to change,
and comfortable with routine tasks. There are still others who look at prob-
lems either from a pessimistic viewpoint, or from a very logical perspec-
tive. The former makes them highly defensive, while the latter stifles their
creativity or makes them ignore their intuition.
The way we approach or think about a problem influences our decision-

making. Each of the Six Thinking Hats denotes a different style of thinking.
When you use them in your classroom, it is said to improve the quality of
the decisions made. This is because your students will be making a particu-

lar decision “wearing” a specific thinking hat that will enable them to think
more effectively as well as plan the thinking processes more systematically.
Each of the Six Thinking Hats is given a color, that is, white, red, black, yel-
low, green, and blue. The colors are actually metaphors for each thinking
state as shown in the following table.
De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
Hat Thinking State Possible Outcomes

White • Questions - Focuses on available informa-
tion
• Seek information
- Looks for gaps to be filled or
considered
- Analyzes past trends, infers

from historical records
Black • Pessimistic, defensive, - Tries to see why ideas might not
cautious work
• Bad points judgement - Highlights weak points
(Playing the devil’s - Spots flaws and risks prior to a

advocate) course of action
- Alters existing approach to

counter potential problems.
Green • Creativity - Develops creative solutions
- Puts forward little or no criti-

cism of ideas
Red • Intuition - Thinks about how others will
react emotionally
• Gut reaction
- Tries to understand others’ in-
• Emotion tuitive responses
Yellow • Optimistic - Sees the benefits and values of
the decision
• Good points judge-
ment - Spots opportunities arising
from it
- Keeps up good spirits when

things look gloomy
Blue • Process control - Uses rationalism, logic, and
intellect to draw conclusions or
• Thinking about think- provide an overview
ing
- Focuses on “thinking” about
(metacognition), rather than on
the situation or process itself.

To summarize, these Six Thinking Hats are actually directions rather than
labels for thinking. This implies that the hats are not to be used to cat-
egorize individuals, even though their behavior indicates otherwise. The
thinker is also free to put on or take off one of these hats to indicate the type
of thinking he/she is using.
If you want to know more about the Six Thinking Hats, refer to the Required
Readings for this GURO21 Course 2, Developing Higher Order Thinking
Skills (HOTS).

Go back to the case of Mr. Olivero. Based on what you have learned about
De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, how might Mr. Olivero use this approach to
help his students arrive at a consensus and make a good decision regarding
the venue for the field trip? Write your ideas on the lines below.
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Let’s Study
Applying Six Thinking Hats in the Classroom
Read the sample answer below and compare it with your answer. To start
off the class discussion, Mr. Olivero can divide his students into groups
and then assign them to different colored hats. Looking at the problem
from various angles, those wearing the White Hats analyze the available
data and seek for more information. For example, “Will the field trip be just
a day trip or does it require an overnight stay?”, “Are they allowed to visit
other places, such as the cactus farm and the rose garden situated in the hill
resort? Or go on a fishing boat out to sea to see how fishermen catch fish?”

The Red Hats will, very likely, react strongly to the idea of an overnight
stay, as it will incur extra expenditure for food and accommodation. This
will put a toll on students from the lower income families, who may be
financially constrained. Also, considering the travel time to reach the ven-
ue, visiting more than one place may not be possible, although, ideally, it
would enable them to maximize the learning opportunity.
Using Black Hats thinking, the students worry that given the continuous
rainy weather over the last week, travelling to a hill resort will expose them
to the danger of landslides. Moreover sea conditions may also be rough
and make the ferry ride to the island unpleasant for those students who are
prone to sea-sickness.
With Yellow Hat thinking, they may look into the option of a home-stay
with some of the fishermen families to cut down expenses as compared to
staying in a hotel.
The Green Hats may also propose the idea of a home-stay. In addition to
cutting cost, it will give them the opportunity to experience how the fisher-
men and their families live. As a token of their appreciation, they can do a
community cleaning-up project.
Using Blue Hats thinking, the students think about the various ideas pro-
posed. They may then move the motion of cancelling the trip to the hill re-
sort in view of the bad weather, which may cause potential landslides. They
help the class review the various suggestions made regarding the kind of ac-
commodation and seek the consensus of the class based on a majority vote.
As you can see, applying the Six Thinking Hats can make classroom discus-
sion rich and alive! Once your students have learned the skills behind the
Six Thinking Hats, they will be better able to:
• Conduct meetings discussing ‘hot’ issues without being overly

emotional;
• Make better decisions as a result of in-depth enquiry into the issue;
• Arrive at creative solutions in problem-solving;
• Maximize and organize ideas and views;
• Get to the right solution collectively and quickly.

To summarize, the Six Thinking Hats tool can be used in problem-solving
and decision-making, first, by exploring the problem; then by developing
a set of solutions; and finally, by selecting the best solution through critical
examination of the solution set.

The Six Thinking Hats are useful for students as they illustrate the need for
us to look at the effects of a decision or recommended solutions of a problem
from different points of view. It allows the necessary emotion, skepticism,
and creativity within the problem-solving and decision-making process.
Individually, we are better able to recognize any shortcomings in the way
that we arrive at a decision or solve a problem, thus allowing us to rectify
any issues as they arise. In other words, it helps to spot valid reasons for
not following a proposed course of action.
Given the benefits of the Six Thinking Hats, briefly describe how you would
use this thinking tool in a class discussion to review a particular problem
and arrive at a decision to develop a suitable solution or solutions for it.
Write your answers on the lines provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Let’s Study
Besides De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, there is also another thinking tool that
you can use to enhance HOTS in your students. It is known as Thinker’s
Keys. Have you read about or used it in your classroom? In the following
section, we will examine this thinking tool in greater detail.
B. Thinker’s Keys
Thinker’s Keys was first developed by Tony Ryan in the 1980s. It is a set of
questions or task starters that are presented as keys aimed at unlocking the
analytical, critical, and creative thinking abilities of students. Today, this
thinking tool is still considered relevant to facilitate learning as inquiry;
enable students to link with prior learning; apply their learning to new con-
texts; advance their key competencies of thinking; promote innovation and
curiosity in students; and to act as a support and challenge as they develop
higher order thinking skills.
The keys may be used in various ways, including the following:
• Group discussion;
• Individual independent activity;
• Classroom task;
• Homework activities; and
• Assessment tool.
The table on the next page briefly describes the 20 Thinker’s Keys (Ryan,
1990) as well as the justification for each of them. Read to understand how
each of these keys can help enhance HOTS in your students.

Tony Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys
Thinker’s Keys Justification Descriptor

REVERSE Key • Students are often Place words such as cannot,
asked to reproduce never, or not in a sentence.
long lists of facts.
Examples:
• Moving in
the • Name 10 things that you
opposite direction cannot eat.
makes them think.
• List 5 sounds that you
have never heard.
WHAT IF Key • Good as an intro- Pose virtually any “What If”

duction for an area question; they can either be
of study. serious or ‘silly’.
• Tapping into stu- Examples:

dents’ knowledge • What if all dogs turned
base. into mice?
• Generates innova- • What if the sun stopped
tive ideas. shining?
DISADVAN- • Very often we Select any item and ask stu-

TAGES Key merely accept the dents to list its disadvantag-
deficiencies of many es. Then brainstorm various
products, without ways of correcting or elimi-
thinking how they nating the disadvantages.
can be improved.
Example: An umbrella
The Disadvantage – The
sharp sections can poke you
in the eye.
Improvements – Glue flat

erasers onto the edges of
each one.

COMBINATION • Many important Students list the attributes of
Key inventions, two dissimilar or unrelated
such as the first objects (one within the area
printing press of study, the other outside).
(the wine press Then combine the attributes
and the coin into a single object.
punch) were
Example: A leaf and a mouse-
invented in this
trap
way.
The leaf changes color
throughout the year. Insects
often eat them. There are mil-
lions of them.
The mousetrap is made of

wood and wire. It can kill
mice. It can be left in lots of
places.
The Combination: A minia-

ture mousetrap for placing
on leaves that can kill insects
when they try to eat the leaf.
BAR Key • A practical step- Make an item BIGGER, ADD

by-step strategy something to it, REPLACE
for developing something on it.
innovative and
Example: BAR a skateboard.
highly unusual
Bigger. Extend the rear of the
products.
skateboard to make it much
• Often used in to- bigger.
day’s high tech
Add. Add a small rocket mo-
product devel-
tor.
opment labora-
tories to create Replace. Replace the wheels
new products with a small hovercraft unit.
for the market.

ALPHABET Key • Using the alpha- Choose an object or topic and
bet format clari- compile a list of words from
fies students’ A- Z. The words should be
thinking. relevant to the current unit
being studied. Students may
• A sorting pro- expand on these.
cess that is made
easier by consid- Example: Alphabet: Fruits
ering one aspect A - apple, B - banana, C -
at a time. cantaloupe, and so on.
VARIATIONS • Another strategy Start each question with,

Key for expanding “How many ways can you…”
your thinking. Students brainstorm different
solutions or ways to meet the
• Some very prac- challenge.
tical ideas can be
generated from Example: How many ways can
using this key. you: make new friends?; wash
a giraffe?
PICTURE Key • Development Draw a simple diagram,

of visualization sketch or drawing and stu-
capacities will dents work out ways to link
enhance learning it to the current topic they are
in almost all studying.
fields of study.
PREDICTION • Contrary to Students respond to a situa-

Key common belief, tion or circumstance by pre-
attempting dicting a series of possibilities.
to predict the
Example: Predict the power
future is not a
source of the family car by the
time waster.
year 2020.
• It is always A combination of electric/pet-

easier if you rol/nuclear fission, with the
know where you driver determining the choice
are going. before the start of the journey.

DIFFERENT • The concept Students list different uses
USES Key of recycling is for items from their topic or
important. theme (with an emphasis on
reusing and recycling).
• Worthwhile
applying to Example: Find 10 uses for red
many of our plastic noses.
everyday 1. Place them in your straw-
(and often berry patch to give a false
disposable) impression of the number
products. of strawberries.
COMMONALITY • Another mind- Decide on 2 objects that would

Key stretcher. normally have nothing in com-
mon, and try to find common
• Great for points between them.
creative ideas
as well as the Example: Ayer’s Rock and the
development Pacific Ocean.
of unusual They both change colour
concepts. through the day. They both
have a rough surface.
RIDICULOUS • Expressions like Make a ridiculous statement

Key “It’s ridiculous” that would be virtually impos-
often prevents sible to implement. Students
the develop- then attempt to substantiate,
ment of many or justify the idea by develop-
excellent ideas. ing a case to support it.
Example: “The government

• Learn to break
should buy a brand new car
through them. for every taxpayer.”
Some consequences:
1. Cars would be more fuel-

efficient because of their
modern design, leading to
a reduction in air pollution
and less wastage of petrol.

QUESTION Key • An excellent Provide students with an
break from the answer. Students think of five
pattern of the questions that give only that
teacher asking answer.
all of the
questions. Example: The answer is MID-
NIGHT.
• Students 1. When is it 12 hours after

still need to midday?
demonstrate
a solid 2. What word is spelled M-I-D-
knowledge N-I-G-H-T?
base.
BRAINSTORM- • Great for State a problem that needs to be

ING Key solutions to solved. Students work individ-
everyday ually or in groups to brainstorm
problems. a list of practical, creative, or
innovative solutions.
• Make sure that
the freedom Example: How to encourage
offered within people not to drive their cars to
the rules is work.
available to all
Some possible solutions:
participants.
Offer monetary incentives to
drivers with three or more pas-
sengers.
INVENTIONS • Given the Students develop inventions

Key opportunity, which are constructed in an
we all love to unusual manner. They first
invent things. outline their ideas on paper, and
then construct their invention
using a variety of materials.
Example: Invent: A new mouse-

trap, an automatic vacuum
cleaner.

FORCED • The dimen- Develop a solution to a problem
RELATIONSHIPS sions of prob- using three totally dissimilar
Key
lem-solving objects. Students cannot use
are expanded. the objects in the way they were
intended to be used.
• Do not under-
estimate the Example: You need to catch a cat
importance with a kite, a marble, and a rub-
of constantly ber band.
developing
alternative Alternative: Draw a diagram.
strategies.
BRICK WALL Key • We often give Make a statement which could

in too quickly not generally be questioned or
when we ques- disputed, and then try to “break
tion many of down the wall” by outlining
the world’s other ways of dealing with the
present situa- situation.
tions.
Example: Governments need to
collect taxes in order to provide
• Practise the
necessary services.
development
of alternative Alternative:
strategies.
1. Divide the nation into com-
munities of 500 people; each
group is responsible for pro-
vision of their own services.

Thinker’s Keys The Justification Descriptor
CONSTRUC- • An example of Pose a construction problem-
TION Key really practical solving task and provide
creative think- readily available material for
ing. students to use. Students can
work individually or in groups
• Can be fun. to build their construction.
Example: Build the longest

• Try to encour-
bridge using one sheet of
age the devel-
newspaper, sticky tape, and 10
opment of the
straws.
“See/Plan/
Do/Check”
Alternative: Draw a diagram.
problem-solving
strategy.
ALTERNATIVE • Necessity is Students think of a number
Key the mother of of ways to complete a task
invention. without the normal tools or
equipment.
• Take away the
normal tool Example: Work out three ways
and spark some to:
innovative - take a photograph without a
solutions. camera
- rake up leaves without a
rake
Alternative: draw a diagram.
INTERPRETA- • Another Describe an unusual situation.

TION Key innovative Students think of different
thinking ways to explain that situation.
exercise.
Example: Your neighbor is
making large circles in his
• Develops
backyard and pouring oil from
the ability to
a can.
consider a
wide range of Interpretation: He has had a
consequences. fixation for circles since his
childhood.

After reading about Ryan’s 20 Thinker’s Keys, are you excited to use them
in your classroom? For a start, you can plan to use one or two as a learning
activity for a particular topic you are teaching. Try different “keys” for dif-
ferent topics each time. I am sure that eventually you will find these “keys”
very useful in facilitating your students’ higher order thinking skills. Do
you know that when used in a learning activity, Thinker’s Keys can en-
courage students to think “outside the square”? Read a teacher’s feedback
about Thinker’s Keys below.
All the students really enjoy using the Thinker’s Keys to improve their higher
order thinking skills. They are now more creative in their approach to daily
tasks.
The academically-better ones really enjoy pushing their boundaries and testing
what they can do. Even my weak students have proven to be very creative in
their thinking. For instance, I introduced the Reverse Key for teaching the topic
on “Dinosaurs,” and I asked them to invent at least 10 names for dinosaurs
which have not yet been discovered.
One of the boys created the “Piranhasaurus Rex,” a mixture of piranha and
T- Rex. He was even able to talk to the class about its features, habitat, diet,
and so on. The more-able students extended the project independently, making
detailed diagrams, researching dinosaurs, and creating leaflets to inform people
of the dinosaur.
Based on the teacher’s feedback in the above snippet, you can see that
Thinker’s Keys can be developed around any topic for any subject, and are
designed to engage and motivate learners in a range of thinking tasks.
When using this thinking tool, you can, first discuss them together as a
whole class before allowing your students to write/draw their ideas in
their Thinker’s Keys book. You may use one or more of the keys for each ses-
sion. Use the task starters provided for each key to generate more questions
about your selected topic or theme.
For optimal use of Thinker’s Keys, introduce the concept and implementa-
tion of each key to your students. This will familiarize them with the key,
as well as have sufficient opportunities to practice the specific thinking that
is required.

Most of the Thinker’s Keys emphasize the development of innovative and crea-
tive thinking for three reasons. First, creative thinking fosters a positive attitude
towards learning. Second, it promotes the emotional link with that of learning,
as well as enhances our memory. Finally, it makes us more open-minded, thus
enabling us to be more adaptable to the changes in the 21st century.

Listed below are the 20 Thinker’s Keys. Place a check mark (√ ) on the blank
before the keys that you have used with your students.
______ 1. Reverse Key ______ 11. Commonality Key
______ 2. What If Key ______ 12. Ridiculous Key
______ 3. Disadvantages Key ______ 13. Question Key
______ 4. Combination Key ______ 14. Brainstorming Key
______ 5. Bar Key ______ 15. Inventions Key
______ 6. Alphabet Key ______ 16. Forced Relationships Key
______ 7. Variations Key ______ 17. Brick Wall Key
______ 8. Picture Key ______ 18. Construction Key
______ 9. Prediction Key ______ 19. Alternative Key
______ 10. Different Uses Key ______ 20. Interpretation Key
How many check marks (√ ) did you get? To help you plan on applying
thinking keys that you haven’t applied in your classes yet, complete the
table below.
Month/Week/ Thinker’s Key Activity Class Remarks

Day
Share your output with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.

Let’s Read
So far, you have learned two strategies that can help enhance your stu-
dents’ HOTS, namely, De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats and Ryan’s Thinker’s
Keys. We now come to the third type of thinking strategy, that is, graphic
organizers.
C. Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers, also called visual organizers, mind maps, or concept

maps, is a graphical way of allowing the mind “to see” undiscovered pat-
terns and relationships as knowledge is constructed and information is
organized. They guide the student to change and pack apparently discon-
nected information into an integrated easy-to-read pictorial display. In this
way, complex information is transformed into simple-and-easy to under-
stand information. Thus, graphic organizers can be used in all phases of
learning, from brainstorming ideas to presenting findings. As these tools
are said to develop higher order thinking skills, they are particularly useful
in activities that require creative and critical thinking skills.
The process of creating a suitable graphic organizer requires that you fol-
low the guidelines below:
• Encourage your students to focus on the relationships between the

items and examine the meanings attached to each of them.
• Remind them to prioritize the information. It is pertinent that they

determine the most important parts of the material to be focused
on, and where each item should be placed in the map.
Examples of graphic organizers are presented in the pages that follow.

Graphic Organizers
Type Topic Task

STAR Examining attributes For example: Identi-
related to a single fying effective study
topic. skills such as note-
taking, speed reading,
memorizing, mnemon-
ics, and so on.
SPIDER Examining attributes For example: Identi-

related to a single top- fying effective study
ic, and subsequently skills such as note-
obtaining more details taking, speed reading,
on each of these ideas. memorizing, mnemon-
ics, and then examin-
ing factors involved in
each of the methods.
FISHBONE Examining multiple For example: Inves-

cause-and-effect fac- tigating the effects of
tors related to a com- improved instructional
plex topic and how strategies through the
they inter-relate. use of multimedia.
CLOUD/CLUSTER Generating a network For example: Brain-

of ideas for a given storming effective
topic. study skills.
FAMILY TREE Involving a chain of For example: Display-

events with a begin- ing results of the prob-
ning and with multiple ability coin-tossing.
outcomes at each node
(like a family tree).

Type Topic Task
CHAIN OF EVENTS Involving a linear For example:
chain of events, with Analyzing a story plot.
a definite beginning, a
middle, and an end.
CONTINUUM/ Having definite be- For example: Mile-

TIMELINE ginning and ending stones in an individu-
points, and a number al’s life.
of divisions, or se-
quences in between.
CLOCK Involving a clock-like For example: Record-

cycle. ing the events in a typi-
cal school day.
CYCLE OF EVENTS Involving a recurring For example: The life-

cycle of events, with cycle of a butterfly.
no beginning and no
end.
FLOW CHART Involving a chain of For example: The steps

instructions to follow, in a research process.
with a beginning and
multiple possible out-
comes at some node,
and with rules at some
nodes.
VENN DIAGRAM Examining the simi- For example: Identify-

larities and differences ing the similarities and
between two or among differences between
three items. fish and whales.

Type Topic Task
CHART/MATRIX Condensing and organ- For example: Creating
DIAGRAM izing data about traits a display of modern
of many items. inventions, such as
who invented them,
when, where and why
they were invented,
and so on.
Y-CHART Analyzing and organ- For example: To

DIAGRAM izing with respect to describe an animal, in-
three qualities of an cluding what it looks
object. like, what it sounds
like, and what it feels
like.
T-CHART Analyzing or compar- For example: To evalu-

DIAGRAM ing two aspects of a ate the pros and cons
topic. related to a decision.
When used effectively, graphic organizers foster and aid learning. When
your students create a graphic organizer, they develop their thoughts
visually. Learning becomes more meaningful and learning outcomes are
achieved as the concepts and facts of a particular topic become clearer.

Considering the graphic organizers you have just studied, use three differ-
ent ones in a lesson for a topic of your choice. Answer the following ques-
tions on the lines provided.
1. What topic did you choose and what graphic organizers did you use?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. Compare and contrast how information is organized and presented
using the three different graphic organizers.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Which of the graphic organizers selected was effective in achieving the

learning outcomes for the lesson?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

As you compare your answers with that of your co-learners, what can you
conclude? A graphic organizer is one useful strategy to encourage your
students to think about information in ways they may not have done so far.
I am sure you have also observed that the different graphic organizers are
useful tools for activities that require your students to review concepts and
show their understanding of what they have learned. More importantly,
your students can use just a single ‘picture’ to represent a large amount of
information and provide a holistic view of a particular concept or topic.

Now that you have learned several teaching strategies that will enhance
your students’ HOTS, you will be interested to learn how to assess the ex-
tent to which your students can use these skills in the classroom. The rea-
sons for assessment are obvious. Firstly, you need to know if your students
have actually benefited from your teaching strategies. Depending on the
results of your assessment, you may retain, modify, or do away with an in-
effective strategy that has failed to achieve its objective of enhancing your
students’ HOTS.

To start off, what assessment techniques can you use to measure your stu-
dents HOTS?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Feedback
Did you list down pencil-and-paper tests containing objective and subjec-
tive items, portfolios, and journals, among others? Whatever assessment
technique you might have written, they would all need a scoring guide.
This guide will consist of specific criteria that will indicate whether the
HOTS has been successfully achieved or not. Rubrics are powerful scoring
guides. Do you know what a rubric is? Read on to find out more about it.
Let’s Study
Rubrics
A rubric is a scoring guide or scale that comprises a set of specific pre-deter-

mined performance criteria for the task and various levels of performance for each
criterion.
To illustrate, study Sample Rubric 1 and Sample Rubric 2.
Sample Rubric 1.
Critical Thinking Rubrics
(Adapted from http://www.nh.cc.mn.us/mydocs/1000007/ThinkRubric.doc)
This rubric aims to evaluate the thinking displayed by students in their

essays, projects, presentations, performances, portfolios, and other tasks
based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. The numbers 1 to 4 represent levels of per-
formance for each cognitive domain in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Four (4) repre-
sents the highest performance level, one (1) the lowest.
A. Knowledge and Comprehension (understanding the basics)
4 - The work consistently demonstrates clear, accurate, detailed, and

comprehensive understanding of the relevant facts/data/theories/
terms as well as the ability to organize the information for application,
presentation, documentation, and/or further examination.

3 - The work demonstrates an adequate understanding of the relevant
facts /data/theories/terms as well as the ability to organize the
information for application, presentation, documentation, and/or
further examination.
2 - The work demonstrates an uneven and shaky understanding

of the relevant facts/data/theories/ terms as well as a limited
ability to organize the information for application, presentation,
documentation, and/or further examination.
1 - The work demonstrates an inadequate understanding of the relevant

facts/data/theories/ terms as well as a limited ability to organize
the information for application, presentation, documentation, and/
or further examination.
B. Application and Analysis (attaining the concept)
4 - The work demonstrates confident ability to work with key concepts/

information/process/theory – applying or extending them to a wide
variety of new problems or contexts, making predictions, recogniz-
ing hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analyzing patterns /com-
ponent parts, communicating insightful contrasts and comparisons.
3 - The work demonstrates adequate ability to work with key concepts/

information/process/theory – applying or extending them to a va-
riety of new problems or contexts, making predictions, recognizing
hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analyzing patterns/compo-
nent parts, communicating insightful contrasts and comparisons.

2 - The work demonstrates uneven/shaky ability to work with key con-
cepts/information/process/theory – applying or extending them with
mixed success to new problems/contexts, making predictions, recog-
nizing hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analyzing patterns/com-
ponent parts, communicating insightful contrasts and comparisons.
1 - The work demonstrates extremely limited ability to work with key

concepts/information/process/theory – applying or extending them
with very limited success to new problems or contexts, making pre-
dictions, recognizing hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analyz-
ing patterns/component parts, communicating insightful contrasts
and comparisons.

C. Synthesizing and Evaluating (going beyond the given)
4 - The work demonstrates surprising/insightful ability to take ideas/

theories/processes/principles further into new territory, broader
generalizations, hidden meanings and implications as well as as-
sess discriminatively the value, credibility, and power of these ide-
as (etc.) in order to decide on well-considered choices and opinions.
3 - The work demonstrates adequate ability to take ideas/theories/

processes/principles further into new territory, broader generali-
zations, hidden meanings and implications as well as assess dis-
criminatively the value, credibility, and power of these ideas (etc.)
in order to decide on well-considered choices and opinions.

2 - The work demonstrates uneven and superficial ability to take ide-
as/theories/processes/principles further into new territory, broad-
er generalizations, hidden meanings and implications, as well as a
limited ability to assess discriminatively the value, credibility, and
power of these ideas (etc.) in order to decide on well-considered
choices and opinions.

1 - The work demonstrates little ability to take ideas/theories/pro-
cesses/principles further into new territory, broader generaliza-
tions, hidden meanings and implications as well as a limited and
superficial ability to assess discriminatively the value, credibility,
and power of these ideas (etc.) in order to decide on well-consid-
ered choices and opinions.
What insights have you gained from Sample Rubric 1? What challenges do
you foresee in applying this type of assessment tool in your class? Write
your answer in the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Discuss your response with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.
Now, proceed and study Sample Rubric 2 on the next page, which assesses
learners’ ability to apply critical thinking skills to solve problems, make
informed decisions, and interpret events.

Sample Rubric 2
Rubric Numerical Value

Component 4 3 2 1
Identifies and Accurately identifies the Accurately identifies the Identifies the problem/ Does not identify or
summarizes the problem/question and problem/question and pro- question and provides a summarize the problem/
problem/ provides a well-developed vides a brief summary. poor summary or identifies question accurately, if at all.
question at issue summary. an inappropriate problem/
question.
Identifies and as- Provides a well-developed Examines evidence and Merely repeats information Does not identify or
sesses the quality examination of the evidence questions its quality. Distin- provided. Does not justify assess the quality of sup-
of supporting and questions its accuracy, guishes between position or distinguish be- porting evidence.
data/evidence relevance, and complete- fact and opinion. tween fact and opinion.
ness. Clearly distinguishes
between fact and opinion.
Identifies and Accurately identifies and Accurately identifies Does not explain Does not identify or
considers the provides a well-developed and provides an explana- contextual issues; consider any contextual
influence of the explanation of contextual tion of potential contextual provides inaccurate infor- issues.
context on the issues with a clear sense of issues. mation; or merely provides
issue scope. a list.
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

101
102
Sample Rubric 2 (continuation)
Rubric Numerical Value

Component 4 3 2 1
Demonstrates Accurately identifies the Accurately identifies mean- Does not explain, provides Does not demonstrate
higher level author’s meaning and/or ing and/or bias and pro- inaccurate information, or higher order thinking
thinking by potential bias and provides vides a brief explanation. merely lists potential bias or
interpreting the a well-developed explana- inferred meanings.
author’s meaning tion.
or the potential
bias
Identifies and Accurately identifies con- Accurately identifies con- Does not explain, provides Does not identify or evalu-
evaluates clusions, implications, and clusions, implications, and inaccurate information, or ate any conclusions, impli-
Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

conclusions, consequences with a well- consequences with a brief merely provides a list of cations, or consequences.
implications, and developed explanation. Pro- evaluative summary. ideas; or only discusses one
consequences vides an objective reflection area.
of own assertions.
(Source: academic.pgcc.edu/~wpeirce/../Designingrubricsassessingthinking.html)
Compare and contrast Sample Rubric 1 with Sample Rubric 2.
How are they different from or similar to each other? Write your answers
on the spaces below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Read on for additional feedback on the similarities and differences between
the two sample rubrics.
Let’s Read
Scoring Rubrics: What? And How?
Did you notice that Sample Rubric 1 provides a single rating or score for
the whole performance using a total impression of the student’s critical
thinking skills? That makes the sample rubric a holistic rubric. If you are
using this sample rubric to evaluate your student’s HOTS on a mathemati-
cal project, first, you will have to identify the student’s mathematical abil-
ity according to the various aspects related to critical thinking, such as,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation of evidence, drawing conclusions, and
acknowledging alternative explanations/viewpoints. Next, you will have
to mentally weigh all these aspects and see how they are reflected in the
student’s project. Finally, you decide on a score that best reflects the stu-
dent’s whole mathematical project performance.
Sample Rubric 2 is a good example of the second type of rubrics known as

analytic rubrics. You will find Sample Rubric 2 useful when you evaluate
your students’ HOTS in writing performance. To arrive at quality judge-
ment, you are required to follow certain steps. First, you have to divide
the performance or product into essential dimensions or traits so that

each can be judged separately. In the context of this rubric, you examine a
student’s critical thinking performance on each of the five dimensions or
traits, namely, (i) Problem/Issue, (ii) Supporting evidence, (iii) Context of
the problem/issue, (iv) Author’s meaning or potential bias, and (v) Con-
clusions, implications, and consequences. Next, you give a separate score
for each dimension or trait. Finally, you sum all the individual scores in
order to obtain a total score.
From this discussion, you can infer that when you need a fairly focused
type of response for performance tasks where there may be one or two
acceptable responses, you will use analytic rubrics. On the other hand,
when you just need to get an overall sense of the student’s proficiency or
understanding of the particular content or skills in the performance task,
you will use holistic rubrics. Holistic rubrics are also used when the task
requires students to create some sort of response, and where there is no one
definite correct answer. Examine the following sample of holistic rubrics.
Sample of Holistic Rubrics
Rubrics for Scoring a Mathematics Task

(Department of Staff Development, Prince George’s County Public Schools, 2010)
The following activities were part of a fifth-grade mathematics task, which

involved planning seating arrangements for a special luncheon.
There will be 19 guests plus the principal at the luncheon. There are all in all
36 small square tables you may use, although you do not have to use all of
them. Each small square table seats one person on a side. On the graph paper,
draw all possible rectangular arrangements that can be made to seat exactly
20 people.
(Note: Graph paper is included in student response book.)
Scoring Tool
The response demonstrates the use of problem-solving approaches to in-

vestigate geometric shapes, patterns, and functions.
2 Points : All 5 patterns are correctly drawn on graph paper.

1 Point : 3-4 patterns are correctly drawn on graph paper.
0 Points : Other

What do you think about the mathematics task given to the students in the
light of our previous discussions on HOTS? How would you comment on
the holistic rubric prepared to evaluate the mathematics task? Write your
thoughts on the lines below.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Let’s Study
Below is an example of an analytic rubric that a teacher may use in observ-
ing a student performing a task.
Skills Criteria Points

1 2 3 4
Helping. None Some Most All of
Students offer assistance to of the of the of the the
each other time time time time
Listening. None Some Most All of
Students work from each of the of the of the the
other’s ideas time time time time
Participating. None Some Most All of
Students contribute to the of the of the of the the
project time time time time
Persuading. None Some Most All of
Students exchange, defend, of the of the of the the
and rethink ideas time time time time
Questioning. None Some Most All of

Students interact, discuss, and of the of the of the the
pose questions to all members time time time time
of the team
Respecting. None Some Most All of

Students encourage and sup- of the of the of the the
port others’ ideas and efforts time time time time
Sharing. None Some Most All of

Students offer ideas and of the of the of the the
report their findings to each time time time time
other

From the given sample, you will notice that initially, there will be several
scores for the individual components, followed by a summed total score.
In view of this, using analytic rubrics to examine students’ performance
tasks can be quite time-consuming as compared to holistic rubrics. How-
ever, students receive specific feedback on their performance with respect
to each of the individual scoring criteria, which is not found when holistic
rubrics are used.
Generally, it is believed that holistic rubrics are typically used when the
purpose of the performance is summative and /or large scale assessments,
and analytic rubrics are typically used for formative assessments and for
integrating on-going day-to-day classroom assessment with instruction to
obtain specific feedback.
However, this is not an exclusive conclusion. In practice, there are no hard-

and-fast rules associated with this. There are holistic rubrics for evaluating
writing performance. The same dimensions or traits (criteria, characteristics)
as listed in an analytic rubric are also applicable. However, the difference lies
in the fact that, instead of considering each dimension or trait separately, you
just combine all of them together to arrive at a single overall score. Similarly,
there are also analytic rubrics for open-ended mathematics problems. Instead
of combining all the dimensions or traits together, you split them up into
logical groupings and give each a separate score.
Another important point to note in the given samples of holistic and analytic
rubrics is that the various levels of student performance can be defined
in numerical terms (quantitative) or descriptive labels (qualitative). For
example, if you intend to define six levels of proficiency or understanding
quantitatively, then the numerical terms will range from 0 to 5. If, however,
you intend to use qualitative labels, then you can consider labels ranging
from “Beginning,” “Developing,” “Accomplished,” or “Exemplary.” Using
the second option allows you to be more flexible and creative. You can create
any type of qualitative labels, provided it “fits” with the performance task.
In using rubrics, you will have to address one issue, that is, converting ru-
bric scores to grades. A rule of thumb is to not directly convert rubric scores
into percentages, i.e., if you are using a rubric that has six levels (or points),
a score of 3 does not equate to 50%. As you have learned earlier, there are
no hard-and-fast rules in converting rubric scores into grades. However,
some teachers find it useful to assign percentages to the rubric scale used.

Let us use the rubric example on page 105 and try to convert the rubric
scores into grades. The rubric has four performance levels (1 - lowest; 4 -
highest) and seven criteria. Thus, the perfect score for this assignment is
28 (7 criteria x 4), and the lowest possible score is a 7 (7 criteria x 1). From
these scores, you can make a conversion table similar to the one below, as-
signing a percentage for a range of scores.
Rubric Score Score in Percentage (%)

28 100
26-27 95
23-25 90
20-22 80
17-19 70
14-16 60
11-13 50
8-10 40
7 35
If a student’s performance is always at the bottom level (Level 1 - None of

the Time), the maximum score that the student can get is a 7. In our example
above, this has an equivalent score of 35%. This grade merits a failing mark
in most schools in Southeast Asia, where the passing grade is usually 50%.
This score indicates that the student has not met the basic performance ex-
pectations. If a student’s performance is at the top level (Level 4 - All of the
Time), this means that the student has met expectations in an exceptional
way. For this excellent effort, a student should receive the highest possible
grade, usually 100%.
Please take note that the conversion table is variable and may change de-
pending on the grading system you and your school use. This will also
depend on several factors, including the number of levels in your rubric
(in the given example, 4), the number of assessment criteria (in the given
example, 7), and the minimum passing grade (e.g., 60%, 75%, and so on).
You must consider these factors for each rubric, and create a mathematical
equation, or a conversion table similar to the one above, that will allow you
to map a score on your rubric to a percent grade (or a letter grade).
In sum, it is important for you to remember that when converting rubric

scores to grades or descriptive feedback, there is no one correct way to
achieve this. Therefore, it is your task and responsibility to find a conver-
sion system that works for you and fits satisfactorily into your school’s
system of reporting students’ performance.

The decision regarding which rubric, holistic or analytic, to use for scoring
has several implications. Firstly, you must consider how you will use the
results obtained. Secondly, one type of rubric is not necessarily better than
the other. Thirdly, you have to find a suitable format that suits you best.
Finally, you have to consider other factors such as time requirements, the
nature of the performance task, and the specific performance criteria that
is required.
1. Based on the subject you teach, which type of rubric will you most likely
use: holistic or analytic? Write your reasons on the lines provided.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. How will you overcome the issue of converting your students’ rubric
scores to grades?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Read the two examples below and then answer the questions which follow.
Example 1:
Mr. Somkeit, a fifth- grade teacher, is planning a unit on the topic of eating
habits according to age groups, focusing on the skills of estimation and
interpretation of graphs.
At the end of this unit, he wants to assess his students’ mastery of the following
instructional objectives:
• Students will accurately interpret a bar graph.

• Students will accurately estimate values from within a bar graph. (Step 1)

The aim of his performance task is summative, and the results will be
incorporated into the students’ grades. To achieve this aim, he decides to
develop a holistic rubric.
First of all, he identifies the following four attributes on which to focus his rubric:
estimation, mathematical computation, conclusions, and communication of
explanations (Steps 2 & 3).
Then, he drafts descriptions of the various levels of performance for the

observable attributes (Steps 4 & 5).
Example 2:
Mrs. Sanchez is beginning a unit on the electoral process. Recalling her
past teaching experiences, she knows that some of her students experience
difficulties in understanding the concepts of sampling and election polling.
Therefore, she decides to give them a performance assessment to evaluate their
levels of understanding of these concepts.
She wants to focus on the idea that surveys can predict the viewpoints of a
population. Specifically, she wants to assess her students on the following
instructional objectives:
• Students will collect data using appropriate methods.

• Students will accurately analyze and summarize their data.
• Students will effectively communicate their results. (Step 1)
The purpose of this performance task is formative in nature. Therefore, she

develops an analytic rubric focusing on the following attributes: (i) sampling
technique; (ii) data collection; (iii) statistical analyses; and (iv) communication
of results (Steps 2 & 3). She drafts descriptions of the various levels of
performance for the observable attributes (Steps 4 & 5).
Considering the two examples above, briefly identify the steps involved in
designing scoring rubrics. Write your answers on the lines provided.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Were you able to identify the different steps involved in designing rubrics?
Are you excited to learn the more detailed step-by-step procedure of doing
so? Then start reading the following section.
Let’s Read
Designing Scoring Rubrics: Step-by-Step
Go back to the examples presented above. Each of them describes the steps
taken by Mr. Somkeit and Mrs. Sanchez in designing their respective scor-
ing rubrics for classroom use. Generally, there are several steps involved in
the design of rubrics as shown in the table below:
Step-by-step Procedure for Designing Scoring Rubrics
Step Descriptor Elaboration

1 Re-examine the learning objec- Allows the teacher to match the
tives to be addressed by the scoring guide with the objec-
task. tives and actual instruction.
2 Identify specific observable at- Specify the characteristics,

tributes that are demonstrated skills, or behaviors, as well as
by students’ product, process, common mistakes made by the
or performance. students.
3 Brainstorm characteristics that Identify ways to describe above

describe each attribute. average, average, and below
average performance for each
observable attribute in Step 2.
4a For holistic rubrics, write thor- Describe the highest and lowest
ough narrative descriptions for levels of performance com-
excellent work and poor work bining the descriptors for all
incorporating each attribute attributes.
into the description.
4b For analytic rubrics, write thor- Describe the highest and lowest
ough narrative descriptions for levels of performance using the
excellent work and poor work descriptors for each attribute
for each individual attribute. separately.

Step Descriptor Elaboration
5a For holistic rubrics, complete the Write descriptions for all inter-
rubric by describing other levels mediate levels of performance.
on the continuum that ranges
from excellent to poor work for
the collective attributes.
5b For analytic rubrics, complete Write descriptions for all inter-

the rubric by describing other mediate levels of performance
levels on the continuum that for each attribute separately.
ranges from excellent to poor
work for each attribute.
6 Collect samples of student These will serve as benchmarks

work that exemplify each level. for future scoring.
7 Revise the rubric, as necessary. Reflect on the effectiveness of

the rubric and revise it prior to
its next implementation.

Using the step-by-step procedure for designing scoring rubrics discussed
earlier, assist Mr. Somkeit and Mrs. Sanchez to develop a holistic rubric
and an analytic rubric, respectively. Fill in the blank spaces provided in
each rubric template below.
Part 1 - Holistic Rubric
(Performance task for the subject)

(Topic)
(Student particulars) (Date examined)
(Score) (Description)
Part 2 - Analytic Rubric
(Performance task for the subject)

(Topic)
(Student particulars) (Date examined)
Dimension Numerical Value Score

(Label 1) (Label 2) (Label 3) (Label 4)
Total Score = _________

Feedback
Compare your answers with those found in the Key to Correction on pages
144-146. Your answers may not be exactly the same as mine, but as long as
the ideas expressed are similar, you are correct.
As you approach the end of this sub-topic on designing or developing ru-

brics to assess HOTS in your learners, I hope you have found answers to
some of your earlier concerns. It is not surprising for anyone who learns
about rubrics to be asking questions like: “How will I know if the per-
formance criteria I have selected are correct?”, “Where can I find good
rubrics?”and “How can I learn to develop an effective rubric?” To help you
answer these questions, you may refer to Annex B for more examples of
holistic and analytic rubrics, including samples with application of scoring
and conversion from rating to grade.
The bottom line is to read what experts say are the attributes of quality
performance for a particular field. This will be very useful when it comes
to determining the performance criteria for a rubric. The other thing to do
is to read rubrics developed by other people. This will give you some good
ideas for developing your own. Lastly, do not be discouraged if, at first,
there seems to be much room for improvement in your rubrics. Keep on
trying. Remember “Correct practice makes perfect.”
Let’s Remember
In this lesson, you learned that:
• Integrating HOTS in the instruction process can be done through

effective questioning, thinking instructional approaches, and
student-engaged learning activities.
• Effective questioning refers to the use of both lower and higher

order questions, with emphasis on the latter type of questions.
• Thinking Instructional Approaches include
(a) Cognitive Acceleration Approaches

(b) “Brain-based” Approaches
(c) Philosophical Approaches

• Student-engaged learning activities involve thinking skills that
focus on “What To Do” and “How To Do It.”
• Thinking strategies that can enhance HOTS in the classroom

include:
(a) De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats – White, Yellow, Red, Green,

Black, and Blue corresponding to different thinking skills
and outcomes;
(b) Thinker’s Keys – 20 different keys for promoting

innovative and creative thinking;
(c) Graphic Organizers – visual tools that allow students to

“see” patterns and relationships.
• There are two types of scoring rubrics
(a) Holistic rubrics – scoring overall process or product as a

whole
(b) Analytic rubrics – scoring separate, individual components

of product or performance.
• Designing scoring rubrics follows a step-by-step procedure:
(a) Re-examine learning objectives

(b) Identify specific observable attributes
(c) Brainstorm characteristics for each attribute
(d) Write thorough narrative descriptions for each attribute
or collective attributes
(e) Describe all levels of performance for each attribute or
collective attributes
(f) Collect samples and review rubric, as necessary

Lesson?
To see how much you have learned from this lesson, try to answer the fol-
lowing questions.
For Questions 1-3, encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Teacher Siti has just taught her students about the rotation of the earth
and the causes of day and night. She then asks one student to stand in
the middle of the room and another to rotate and revolve around that
student. Choose the best question that reflects higher order questions
from the options below.
a. Who is the ‘Earth’ and the ‘Sun’?
b. Can you explain what happens when the ‘Earth’ faces the ‘Sun’ ?
c. What causes day and night?
d. What is the relationship between the ‘Earth’ and the ‘Sun’?
2. Ms. Trang is using the Cognitive Acceleration Approach in her art lesson
for the topic on Renaissance Architecture. At the end of the lesson, she
asks them to identify and name some buildings in town where Roman
pillars are a part of the infrastructure.
Based on the above classroom situation, which step of the Cognitive

Acceleration Approach is Ms. Trang applying?
a. Cognitive challenge
b. Metacognition
c. Social construction dialogue
d. Bridging

3. Teacher Porntip plans to use Socratic questioning in her science
lesson. She is teaching the topic, “Insect Metamorphosis.” During the
lesson, she asks the class questions, such as, “What is the key concept
of metamorphosis?” “How does tadpole metamorphosis differ from
insect metamorphosis?”
What level of Socratic thinking is reflected in the two questions posed

by Ms Porntip?
a. Literal questions
b. Conceptual questions
c. Factual questions
d. Analytical questions
For Questions 4-5, write the correct answer on the space provided.
4. Name the thinking state involved and possible learning outcomes when
individuals or groups “wear” the respective De Bono’s thinking hat as
given below:
a. Black Hat ________________________________
b. Blue Hat ________________________________
c. White Hat ________________________________
d. Green Hat ________________________________
e. Yellow Hat ________________________________

f.
Red Hat ________________________________
5. For the following cognitive domain levels of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy,

provide three examples of suitable action words.
a. Remembering ________________________________
b. Understanding ________________________________
c. Applying ________________________________
d. Analyzing ________________________________
e. Evaluating ________________________________
f. Creating ________________________________

6. Teacher Dorina is teaching about elephants in a science lesson. She is
encouraging her students to generate innovative and highly unusual
ideas about elephants. Identify three of Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys that she
can use in the classroom to achieve her objective.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7. Somalay has just learned about graphic organizers. During recess, she
shares her new knowledge with her friends in the canteen. Imagine you
are Somalay. How would you explain the concept of graphic organizers
and their use in instruction?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. During a group dynamics session, Ina is asked to describe critical

incidents in her childhood that have left a marked impression on her.
She is asked to use a graphic organizer to facilitate her presentation.
Identify and explain two suitable graphic organizers.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

9. In a short quiz based on the topic “Designing Scoring Rubrics For Your
Classrooms,” the participants of a one-day workshop on “Authentic
Assessment” are asked to explain two types of labels of student
performance that can be used in holistic and analytic rubrics, with
suitable examples. What are some of the possible answers?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
10. At a monthly meeting of English teachers, Ms Vasugi, a beginning

teacher, raises her hand and asks Mr. Mohamed, the panel head, “Sir,
what is the difference between holistic rubrics and analytical rubrics?”
If you are Mr. Mohamed, how would you explain the differences
between these two types of rubrics to Ms Vasugi?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Feedback
Compare your answers with those found in the Key to Correction on pages
146-151.
If you have answered all the questions correctly, you have truly learned
how to integrate HOTS in your instruction, apply HOTS in your class-
room, and design a scoring rubric to evaluate HOTS.
If you got nine out of the ten questions correct, you are still doing alright.
You will just need to go over the item you missed to learn it further.
If you only have five or less correct answers, you will have to go back to
the module and review all the lessons in it, paying special attention to the
questions you have answered incorrectly.

If you recall, this lesson has given you a general overview of how you can
integrate HOTS in your classroom through three elements in the instruc-
tion process, and three common thinking strategies. Besides this, now you
also have an overall picture of how you can evaluate students’ performance
based on predetermined criteria through the use of different types of ru-
brics that you can develop and design yourself.
With this, we now come to the final stage of the module, that is, the module
summary, the post test, and the module assignment.
Let’s Sum Up
This module focused on developing HOTS in learners.
• Specifically, it focused on transforming your classroom into a

thinking classroom and strengthening your teaching through
thinking strategies.
• The teaching of thinking skills as a stand-alone for the last two

decades is now being replaced by thinking routines, sophisticated
questioning and discussion skills.
• In the wake of twenty-first century challenges, and global

economic and social changes, the goal of education is to
produce students who are prepared for college, citizenship, and
employment.
• For this goal to be realized, traditional classrooms must make

way for thinking classrooms.
• Thinking can be infused into existing curricula through four

elements, that is:
(i) teaching for thinking,

(ii) teaching of thinking,
(iii) teaching with thinking, and
(iv) teaching about thinking.

• The thinking curriculum that integrates content and process
enhances in-depth learning, focuses on real-life tasks, engages
students holistically in instructional tasks, and actively connects
to students’ backgrounds.
• The emphasis is on higher order thinking that takes place in the

higher levels of the hierarchy of cognitive processing as ordered
in Bloom’s Taxonomy and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• The teacher’s knowledge, pedagogical skills, attitudes and beliefs

about teaching HOTS, and preferred teaching style determines,
to a certain extent, HOTS integration in instruction.
• In promoting HOTS, teachers use effective questioning, thinking

instructional approaches, and student-engaged learning
activities.
• Critical and creative thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-

solving and decision-making, are closely related to higher-order
thinking.
• Thinking strategies or tools do not promote only one type of

higher order thinking, rather a combination of two or more.
• Some of the common thinking strategies include De Bono’s Six

Thinking Hats, Thinker’s Keys and Graphic Organizers.
• Rubrics are scoring guides that may be used to assess HOTS.

There are two types of scoring rubrics:
(a) Holistic rubrics – scoring overall process, or product as a

whole
(b) Analytic rubrics – scoring separate, individual components

of product, or performance.

Module?
Would you like to find out how much you have learned from this module
on developing HOTS in your students? Try to complete the following mod-
ule post test.
1. Which of the following statements best describes a thinking classroom

in the twenty-first century ?
a. Teachers develop students’ thinking skills to support memory and

recall.
b. Teachers teach thinking skills as a separate entity in the curriculum.
c. Teachers provide opportunities for students to apply their

knowledge to new situations for a deep and meaningful learning.
d. Teachers evaluate students’ learning primarily through thinking

strategies.
2. Which of the following situations best exemplifies a thinking classroom?
a. In Ms. Yani’s science class, she asks her students to identify the
different types of flowers they see in the school yard. She asked
them to sort out the flowers according to color.
b. Mr. Phiene conducted his Social Studies class at the local market,
where his students interviewed the meat vendors about their
opinion on price increases. They wrote a reflection paper on this
activity.
c. Mrs. Hoa’s math class grouped themselves into fives. Each group
played a game, which drilled them on the multiplication table.
d. Ms. Abbie’s English class memorized the poem “Invictus.” Each

student took turns reciting the poem in front of the whole class.

3. Ms Laily has read that effective questioning promotes students’ higher
order thinking in the classroom. The following statements describe how
to use effective questioning except:
a. Conduct a period of continuous questioning until the “right”

answer is reached.
b. Allocate time for students to think and share thoughts with others.
c. Provide opportunities for students to see others’ opinions besides

their own.
d. Use probes and prompts to lead students to articulate their thoughts.
4. Mrs. Dara plans to use an instructional approach that will enable her
students to
• Become enrolled in their learning
• Question new information learned
• Connect prior experience with new learning
• Review learned material
• Celebrate the learning experience
What is the instructional approach called?
a. Self-paced learning
b. Accelerated learning
c. Mastery learning
d. Self-regulated Learning
5. Read the “Girl Guide Promise” below.
Our Promise
I Promise that I will do my best;
To love my God,
To serve my Queen and my Country,
To help other people
And
To keep the Guide Law.

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy for the “Girl Guide Promise,” give a suitable
example for each level of cognitive thinking below:
Level of cognitive thinking Example

Knowledge __________________________

Comprehension __________________________

Application __________________________

Analysis __________________________
Synthesis __________________________

Evaluation __________________________
6. Mr. Santokh used De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats to develop HOTS in

students of his literature class. As a strategy, he wore a different color of
hat for each type of question that he asked. Match the questions below
with the appropriate hat that Mr. Santokh wore.
Thinking Hat Mr Santokh’s Questions

1. White Hat a. Can you write a new ending?
What will it be?
2. Red Hat b. What are the good points of the

characters in the story?
3. Black Hat c. How did the ending make you
feel? How did you feel about the
main character in the story?
4. Yellow Hat d. What have we done so far? What

can we do next?
5. Green Hat e. Who are the characters? What do

they look like?
6. Blue Hat f. What are the disadvantages in try-

ing to solve problems that way?

7. After learning about thinking strategies, Mrs. Thevika gives her class a
written exercise. One of the questions requires her students to match the
appropriate Thinker’s Keys with the descriptor using connecting lines
as shown in the example below:
Thinker’s Keys Descriptor

1. Combination Key a. Provide materials to design a
problem-solving task.
2. Alternative Key b. Think of different ways to

explain an unusual situation.
3. Different Uses Key c. Think of ways to complete a

task without being supplied
with the usual tools.
4. Interpretation Key d. List and combine attributes

of two unrelated objects
into a single object.
5. Construction Key e. List different uses of items

with an emphasis on reuse.
8. Ms. Eugene is teaching his eighth graders how to use graphic organizers
to capture the highlights of their history lesson on “The Industrial
Revolutions.” What are some guidelines that she can give her students
in creating a suitable graphic organizer for this topic?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

9. Marcus finds it difficult to identify student performance criteria to
develop a rubric he has been assigned to. He goes to the library and sees
a book entitled “Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom.” In the book, he found
the following information that he needed on rubrics, presented using a
graphic organizer:
How to Identify Performance Criteria

[Adapted from Arter & McTighe (2001:34)]
Read what Make a list

others have to say of key perfor-
about the nature of mance indicators that
high quality perfor- you know about based
mances for the skills on your experience
or knowledge High per- with the students
formance criteria
capture the essence
of what makes a prod-
uct or performance
work
Collect and
score samples of Collect
student work using and sort student
your rubric. Use ques- work into groups by
tions that arise to fine- quality. Write down
tune the language in features that make
the rubric the groups differ-
ent.
What type of graphic organizer is shown above? What makes you say
so? Provide a brief description for this type of graphic organizer.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

10. Design a rubric for a fiction writing activity in the classroom. Include
the plot, setting, and the characters of the story in the rubric’s content.
The following is a suggested template for you to use, with sample
descriptions under some performance levels. You may fill it out or you
may develop your own original rubric.
Criteria 4 3 2 1
Plot Both plot
parts are
fully devel-
oped.
Setting Both setting

parts of the
story are
addressed
but not fully
developed.
Characters None of the
characters is
developed
or named.
Feedback
In order to check how well you have performed in the Module post-test,
compare your answers with those in the Key to Correction on pages 152-158.
If you answered all the questions correctly, then you have a clear under-
standing of how to develop HOTS in your students.
If you answered eight out of ten questions correctly, you still have diffi-
culty understanding concepts, and need to review the parts you missed.
If you got five or fewer correct answers, you need to review the whole
module before proceeding to the next page.

Congratulations! You have done well in completing this module, Develop-
ing HOTS in Learners. I am confident you have gained much insights in
integrating HOTS in the teaching-learning process from the module read-
ings and activities.
How Do You Rate Yourself Now?

As you complete the module, I would like to remind you to do a final check
to identify to what extent you have achieved your learning goals and out-
comes. For this purpose, I would like to invite you to return to the Self-
Rating Competency Checklist on pages 8-9. Review the list of competencies
again and place another check mark (√ ) in the appropriate “POST” column
that best describes your level of mastery of each competency at this time.
Compare your competency level before and after studying the module and
reflect on how much you have learned.
All the best to you as you try to develop HOTS in your learners!
Let’s Apply What You’ve Learned

(Module Assignment)
This module assignment has three parts, all of which have to be completed
and submitted to your Flexible Learning Tutor for review and feedback.
Part I
Design a floor plan of your thinking classroom showing the physical lay-
out, desk placement and seating arrangements, and classroom space de-
sign. Decide on the kind of activity setting (flexible, integrated or variable),
that is suitable for the instructional strategies that you will employ. Prepare
a written text (300-500 words) describing each of the elements in your lay-
out and explaining why they are essential for your thinking classroom. A
minimum requirement is a photo documentation or a drawing of the floor
plan. However, you can be as creative as you can, given the technological
support available.

Part II
Invite your school head, teaching supervisor, and some colleagues to visit
your thinking classroom. Provide a feedback form for them to make recom-
mendations on how to further improve the physical environment of your
thinking classroom. Based on the given feedback, formulate an action plan
to show how you will make and implement the necessary improvements.
You may need to make certain considerations such as budget allocation,
availability of classroom space, and so on.
Part III
Develop a lesson plan integrating HOTS for a selected topic for a subject
you teach. Identify how you will integrate at least one or two elements
in the instruction process, such as effective questioning, instructional ap-
proaches, and learning activities. Also indicate two or three strategies you
will use to enhance your students’ HOTS. Include in your lesson plan a
learning task for your students, for example, article review, case study,
situation analysis, and a sample assessment rubric for the task. Consult
with your teaching supervisor and ask him/her to review the lesson plan.
Prepare a reflection on the insights you have gained from the professional
consultation and what improvements you will make to integrate HOTS
more effectively in your lesson plan.
Submit the three parts of your module assignment with supporting docu-
mentation to your Flexible Learning Tutor for review and feedback.

Key to Correction
What Do You Already Know? pages 4-7
1. The primary educational goal of the twenty-first century is to
a. produce students who are holistically developed.
This is not the best answer. This is already the goal of education in
our present time.
b. prepare students for college, citizenship, and employment.
This is the best answer. Twenty-first century learning aims to

produce students who are able to cope with the demands of the
twenty-first century and thrive in an increasingly interdependent
and competitive global society and workplace.
c. equip students with sound content knowledge.
This is not the best answer. Sound content knowledge alone is

not enough. The twenty-first century requires individuals who
have high cognitive skills for managing, interpreting, validating,
transforming, communicating, and acting on information, in
addition to non-routine analytic skills such as abstract reasoning,
problem-solving and collaboration.
d. enable students to master information and technology skills.
This is not the best answer. While information and technology

skills are a driving force in workplaces and communities in the
twenty-first century, a variety of other skills including higher order
thinking, and personal abilities are equally important.
2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a thinking classroom?
a. Students work in groups based on skill level or language ability.
This is the best answer. A thinking classroom encourages students

of mixed ability to work collaboratively in order to promote critical,
creative, and constructive thinking that is closely related to higher
order thinking. Thus when students work in same ability groups,
there is a likelihood that higher order thinking may not occur,
especially when group members are academically weak.

b. Learning takes place in a safe, tolerant, and disciplined environment for
students.
This is not the best answer. For students to be engaged meaningfully

in learning, they need a safe, tolerant, and disciplined environment,
either inside or outside the classroom. This is a characteristic of a
thinking classroom.
c. Teachers view ‘content’ as a vehicle for developing students’ efficacy,

flexibility, and interdependence.
This is not the best answer. When the teaching of thinking is infused
with content, students are better able to develop thinking skills.
This is also one of the characteristics of a thinking classroom.

d. Curriculum intent moves away from knowledge acquisition to knowledge
production as an outcome.
This is not the best answer. The goal of a thinking curriculum is

that students are able to generate new ideas and knowledge or
modify and improve on existing ideas and knowledge, not merely
to acquire knowledge from the teacher or another content expert.
This is also a characteristic of a thinking classroom.

3. A thinking curriculum integrates both content and process. This means that
a. Life-long learning is the primary focus.
This is not the best answer. While life-long learning is encouraged

in today’s world, this is not the primary concern of a thinking
curriculum.
b. Processes are realized in the same manner in different content areas.
This is not the best answer. Processes are realized differently in

different content areas. For example, scientists and historians use
different processes depending on the content they are dealing with.
c. Students are taught content through processes encountered in the

real-world.
This is the best answer. Within this dual agenda of integrating

content and process, students develop habits of mind with respect
to learning which are useful to them in school as well as in the
outside world.

d. Teachers are experts in content area and productive pedagogies.
This is not the best answer. While it is true that teachers are
required to be both content area and pedagogical content experts,
this is not their primary role in a thinking curriculum; rather, they
are facilitators in the classroom.
4. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, higher order thinking skills include
a. application, comprehension, and evaluation.
This is not the best answer. Evaluation and application are higher
order thinking skills (HOTS), but Comprehension is categorized as
lower thinking skills (LOTS).
b. evaluation, analysis, and synthesis.
This is the best answer. All three thinking skills fall in the category
of HOTS.
c. evaluation, synthesis, and comprehension.
This is not the best answer. Evaluation and synthesis are HOTS but
comprehension is LOTS.
d. synthesis, analysis, and comprehension.
This is not the best answer. Synthesis and analysis are HOTS, but
comprehension is LOTS.
5. In the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, ‘creating’ is associated with
a. constructing graphic organizers.
This is not the best answer. Constructing graphic organizers is a

mental function that illustrates the ability to analyze.
b. constructing meaning from graphic messages.
This is not the best answer. When one is able to construct meaning
from graphic messages, it shows understanding.
c. giving recommendations.
This is not the best answer. Giving recommendations is one product

that is the result of evaluation.

d. re-organizing elements.
This is the best answer. Creating requires the individual to put

parts in a new way or put elements together to create something
new and different .
6. Teacher Thelma asks her students to explain why a ripe durian falls to the
ground. Their explanation should include the Law of Gravity and the meaning
of gravitational forces that attracts the durian to the earth. Which higher order
thinking skill is required of her students to complete this activity?
a. Interpret
This is not the best answer. This activity does not require the
students to do any interpretation of meaning or concept.
b. Apply a rule
This is the best answer. The students need to apply Newton’s Law
of Gravity to explain the falling of a ripe durian to the ground.

c. Solve
This is not the best answer. Students need not engage in the
problem-solving process for this activity. They just have to use the
laws governing why certain things happen.
d. Describe
This is not the best answer. The activity does not require the
students to describe; rather, they have to explain a phenomenon
from a scientific perspective.
7. Mr. Maniam teaches Grade Six students. He plans to use De Bono’s Six
Thinking Hats for a class discussion to decide a venue for an educational visit.
He divides his students into groups and assigns different concerns for different
hats. Choose the best answer from the four options given below:

a. Focus on advantages — Yellow hat
This is the best answer. De Bono’s yellow hat is concerned with

benefits, values, and strengths of a proposed idea, viewpoint, or
argument.

b. Evaluation — Red hat
This is not the best answer. The red hat demonstrates one’s feelings,
prejudices, and intuition regarding an expressed idea, view, and so
on.
c. Alternatives for action — Black hat
This is not the best answer. The black hat focuses on the consequences
of an action, the difficulties that may arise, precautions to take, risks
involved, and so on.
d. Presentation of facts — Blue hat
This is not the best answer. The blue hat explains how the group
members arrived at the solution, wraps up the discussion, and
summarizes the decision made.
8. Mrs. Munira has just attended a talk on “Productive Pedagogies.” The speaker
focused on the benefits of using thinking tools in instruction. Mrs. Munira
is keen to use a graphic organizer that identifies cause and effect. This type of
graphic organizer is called
a. Flow chart
This is not the best answer. The flow chart sequentially lists events
that have happened, or might happen.
b. Venn diagram
This is not the best answer. The Venn Diagram is a tool for finding
similarities and differences.
c. Y chart
This is not the best answer. The Y chart is a brainstorming tool based
on what one sees and feels. It helps clarify concepts and ideas.
d. Fishbone diagram
This is the best answer. The fishbone diagram is a tool for

identifying cause and effect. It is also a useful essay planning tool.

9. Ms. Nurul has given her students a portfolio-based assignment. She is in doubt
as to the type of rubric she has to use in evaluating her students’ performance.
Choose the best rubric to use from the statements below.
a. Analytic rubrics are only used when the purpose of the performance
assessment is summative in nature.
This is not the best answer. Analytic rubrics can be used for
both formative and summative feedback in assessing student
performance.
b. Holistic rubrics score individual components of the product or process.
This is not the best answer. The focus of a score reported using a
holistic rubric is on the overall quality, proficiency, or understanding
of the specific content and skills.
c. Analytic rubrics create a profile of specific student strengths and

weaknesses.
This is the best answer. A profile of specific student strengths

and weaknesses can be created because students receive specific
feedback on their performance.
d. Holistic rubrics offer significant feedback to students and teachers.
This is not the best answer. Holistic rubrics only offer limited
feedback to students and teachers, and thus cannot be considered
significant.
10. Mr. Mark is the English Language panel head in his school. He is conducting
a workshop on how to design scoring rubrics for evaluating student essays.
Which of the following will he emphasize as the first step in designing rubrics?
a. Identify specific observable attributes.
This is not the best answer. This is the second step in the rubrics
designing procedure. It involves specifying characteristics, skills, or
behaviors that you are looking for, as well as common mistakes you
do not want to see.

b. Brainstorm criteria for performance levels.
This is not the best answer. This is the third step that identifies ways
to describe above average, average, and below average performance
for each observable attribute identified in step 2.
c. Identify levels of performance for excellent to poor work.
This is not the best answer. This is step 4 of the procedure that
describes the highest and lowest levels of performance combining
all or for each attribute separately.
d. Re-examine learning objectives addressed by the task.
This is the best answer. This first step allows you to match your
scoring guide with your objectives and actual instruction.

11. Enumerate the four characteristics of a thinking curriculum.
The four characteristics of a thinking curriculum are:
(i) The scope of a thinking curriculum promotes in-depth learning.
(ii) Content and process objectives are situated in real-world tasks.
(iii) Tasks are sequenced to situate holistic performances in increasingly

challenging environments.
(iv) A thinking curriculum actively connects content and processes to

learners’ backgrounds.
12. How would you differentiate between lower order thinking skills and higher
order thinking skills?
Lower order thinking skills foster thinking skills for basic knowledge
recall, understanding, or application of appropriately, previously
learned information to draw out factual answers. Higher order thinking
skills require students to break down information into parts, make
judgments according to some set of criteria, and create new ideas or put
existing ideas in a new and different way.

13. How would you convert rubric scores to grades or descriptive feedback?
The process of converting rubric scores to grades is more a process of

logic rather than a mathematical one. As a rule of thumb, assign more
scores at the average and above average categories (Grade ‘C’ or better)
than below average categories. For example, if a rubric consists of six
levels, a score of 3 should not be equated to 50% (equivalent to an “F” in
most letter grading systems). Find a conversion system that works and
fits into one’s individual system of reporting student performance.
14. Match the appropriate sub-skills with the corresponding thinking skills by
connecting them with lines.
A B
Drawing conclusions Interpretation
Assessing arguments Inference
Identifying arguments Evaluation
Clarifying meaning Analysis
Lesson 1: Transforming My Classroom Into

A Thinking Classroom
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson? pages 50-52
Part I
1. In order to be skilful thinkers, students should
a. Work independently and at their own pace.
This is not the best answer. Students are encouraged to learn

to cooperate and work together in small groups. Collaborative
learning promotes skillful thinking.
b. Call out their ideas spontaneously.
This is not the best answer. Students should think before they
respond, instead of just uttering their answers. In most cases, they
are likely to give inaccurate answers or answers that lack detail and
precision.

c. Be cautious and not take risks.
This is not the best answer. Students who are overly cautious are
not likely to be creative and willing to try out new ways of doing
things. They will not move out of their comfort zone.
d. Think for themselves and not depend on teachers for answers.
This is the best answer. Students who can think for themselves will
be better able to develop strategies for effective problem-solving and
decision-making. They will also develop important thinking skills
and mental habits that will make them better critical and creative
thinkers.
2. Which of the following statements best describes the importance of thinking

skills? Thinking skills
a. Fulfill human needs and meet the demands of the labor market.
This is not the best answer. Thinking skills give more importance to
human potential rather than human needs.
b. Emphasize mastery of the basics in education.
This is not the best answer. Thinking skills complement mastery of

the basics in education (literacy, math, science).
c. Equip children with a range of competencies for an unpredictable future.
This is the best answer. Developing higher order thinking skills in

students will prepare them for the changes and challenges of the
21st century and beyond.
d. Develop an awareness of the different problems in different contexts.
This is not the best answer. Thinking skills enable students to

develop awareness of themselves as thinkers and learners, practice
strategies for effective thinking and develop habits of intelligent
behavior that are needed for lifelong learning.

3. Which of the following is a higher order thinking question?
a. What is the relationship between an ant and a cockroach?

This is the best answer. This question requires students to analyze
both insects to determine the relationship between them.
b. What facts would you select to show that he is the suspect?

This is not the best answer. This question requires students to
merely apply acquired knowledge, facts, and techniques.
c. How did the fire spread to the entire block of shop houses?
This is not the best answer. The question requires students to recall
facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers.
d. How would you summarize what happened at the scene of the accident?
This is not the best answer. The question requires students to
demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas.
4. Which of the action words correspond to the given cognitive level of Bloom’s
Taxonomy?
a. Tabulate, explain, identify, compare – Knowledge

This is not the best answer. Identify and tabulate belong to
the Knowledge level, but explain and compare are categorized under
Comprehension.
b. Illustrate, predict, label, relate – Application

This is not the best answer. Illustrate and relate come under
Application, whereas label tests students’ Knowledge and predict comes
under Comprehension.
c. Debate, infer, select, compare - Analysis

This is the best answer. These action words belong to the Analysis
level.
d. Rank, solve, support, convince – Evaluate

This is not the best answer. Rank, support, and convince belong to the
Evaluation level whereas solve comes under Application.

Part II
Identify whether each of the questions below can be categorized as HOTS questions
or otherwise. Place a check (√ ) mark on the space provided for a HOTS question
and a cross (x) mark if the question is not a HOTS question. Give a reason for
your answer.
1. ___X____ Where did the wealthy family man go with his son?
Reason: This is not a HOTS question as the students merely recall the
information found in the story they have read.
2. ___X____ Why did the father take his son for the trip?
Reason: This is not a HOTS question as the students are not required
to think critically to obtain the correct answer; they just repeat the
information in the given story.
3. ___X____ How long were they away from home?

Reason: This is not a HOTS question although it begins with ‘HOW,’
as the answer can be found directly from the story. Students are not
required to do any analysis.
4. ___X____ Enumerate the things that the son saw in the farmer’s house.
Reason: This is not a HOTS question as students merely recall information
they have read from the story
5. ___√____ Compare and contrast the father’s and son’s definition of “poor.”
Reason: This is a HOTS question. It requires students to process the
information they have read regarding how the father and son have
defined the concept of “poor.” They are not asked to repeat or recall the
facts given in the story.
6. ___√____ What is the moral of the story?

Reason: This is a HOTS question. Students need to engage in higher
levels of thinking. They are required to analyze, and evaluate what they
have read in the story in order to be able to state the moral behind it.
They do not merely extract, repeat, or recall what they have read.

Part III
1. How does Bloom’s Taxonomy differ from the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy?
a. The names of the six levels of thinking were changed from nouns
in Bloom’s Taxonomy to verb forms in the Revised Taxonomy.
This is because the taxonomy reflects different forms of thinking
and thinking is an active process. Verbs describe actions; nouns
don’t.
b. The Knowledge category was renamed Remembering. This is because

knowledge is an outcome or product of thinking, and not a form
of thinking per se. Consequently, knowledge was inappropriate to
describe a category of thinking.
c. Comprehension and Synthesis were re-titled to Understanding and

Creating, respectively, in order to better reflect the nature of the
thinking.
Lesson 2: Strengthening My Teaching Through

Thinking Strategies
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.2) pages 59-60
Based on the story, “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing,” construct two questions for each
of the six levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Here are some sample answers.
Remembering:
(i) Who are the characters in the story?
(ii) What happened in the story?
Understanding:
(i) Why did the wolf mingle with the sheep?
(ii) Why did the shepherd select the wolf to be killed?
Applying:
(i) What would you have done if you were the wolf?
(ii) How would you demonstrate the beginning, middle, and ending
of the story?

Analyzing:
(i) How would you feel if you were the wolf?
(ii) Which part of the story did you like best?
Evaluating:
(i) What do you think of the story?
(ii) Why has this story been told repeatedly over the years?
Creating:
(i) How would you re-write this story with a different ending?
(ii) Write a set of rules to prevent what happened in the story.
You may have formulated other HOTS questions which you may share
with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor for additional feedback.
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.4), page 65
Using the five steps of the CASE Approach, briefly describe how you would teach
a topic on “Pollution.” Write your answer on the lines provided.
Below are suggested steps to teach a topic on pollution using the Cognitive
Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) Approach.
(i) Concrete preparation - Establish the concepts involved: forms of

pollution, pollutants, sources and causes, effects, regulation and
monitoring, pollution control.
Select the sub-topic for oral discussion, that is, Causes of Air
Pollution
(ii) Cognitive conflict - Present an issue for discussion (e.g., how to

reduce man-made causes of air pollution)
(iii)Social construction dialogue - Students work together as a group to

come up with solutions to the problem.
- They discuss their ideas and make suggestions.
- They give suggestions to solve the problem:“How about

substituting gas with a more environment-friendly fuel for our
motor vehicles?” or “I disagree with you because it is not cost-
effective.”

(iv) Metacognition - The teacher sets them thinking by asking, “What
do you think are we going to think about to reduce motor vehicle
emissions?” or “How did you arrive at this idea?”
(v) Bridging - Students then review how they can help reduce the air
pollution problem in everyday life. They offer practical suggestions,
for example, “Walk to the nearby market instead of driving a car or
riding a motorcycle there,” “Car-pool or go in one vehicle to school
if they are staying in the same housing area or village,” “Cycle
instead of chartering a vehicle bus for a school excursion if the
venue is not too far away,” and so on.
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.5) pages 68-69
Aspects of the lesson corresponding to the six levels in Accelerated Learning:
Accelerated Evidence
Learning Level (Clues from the Lesson)
Enroll • Mrs. Kaur greets her Year 5 students at the door with
“Good morning! We’re all going to enjoy today’s lesson.”
(Teacher starts off the lesson with an interesting open-
ing sentence to stimulate students’ curiosity towards the
lesson).
Experience • Mrs. Kaur begins her geography lesson with a game about
their school building collapsing as a result of a landslide
(Allow students to experience the lesson using an engag-
ing activity where they role-play to figure out how they
might survive in the event of a landslide).
Label • She then proceeds by giving an overview of the effects of
weather conditions, tree-felling, and hill-leveling on the
incidence of landslides.
(The content is presented at the peak of the activity and
linked to natural disasters in their daily lives).
Demonstrate • She then shows a video clip about landslide victims’ trau-
matic experiences.
• The students go back to their simulation to apply their
new learning.
(Teacher provides opportunities for transfer of knowl-
edge).

Accelerated Evidence
Learning Level (Clues from the Lesson)
Review • Mrs. Kaur continues the lesson using pictures and ques-
tions written on flash cards and a short movie about
landslides.
(Teacher reinforces students’ new learning.)
Celebrate • In pairs, students share what they have learned, and
shout “Hurrah!” as they celebrate their learning.
(Teacher uses “Think-pair-share” activity and class cheer
as closure activity to celebrate learning gains )
Let’s Think About This pages 73-74
Construct two questions for each level of Socratic questioning for the story, “The
Miser.” Write your answers on the space provided.
Here are some sample answers.
1. Literal (or factual questions)
a. “What is this story about?”
b. “Can you remember what happened to the Miser’s bar of gold?”,

and so on.
2. Analytic questions
a. “Why did the neighbor remove the Miser’s bar of gold?”
b. “What advice would you have given the Miser?”, and so on.
3. Conceptual questions
a. “What is the moral of the story?”
b. “What is your opinion of the Miser’s behavior?”, and so on.

Let’s Try This (Activity 2.14) page 112
Part I. Holistic Rubric
Here is a sample holistic rubric for a mathematics topic on “measurement

and estimation.”
Mathematics Performance Task (Performance Task for the subject)
Measurement and Estimation (Topic)
Name: _______________ (Student particulars)
Date: ________________ (Date examined)
Score Description
4 Makes accurate estimations. Uses suitable mathematical opera-

tions without any mistakes. Draws logical conclusions support-
ed by graph. Sound explanations of thinking.
3 Makes good estimations. Uses suitable mathematical operations

with a few mistakes. Draws logical conclusions supported by
graph. Good explanations of thinking.
2 Attempts to make estimations, although many inaccurate. Uses

unsuitable mathematical operations but with no mistakes.
Draws conclusions but not supported by graph. Offers little
explanation.
1 Makes inaccurate estimations. Uses unsuitable mathematical

operations. Draws no conclusions related to graph. Offers no
explanation.
0 No response/Task not attempted.

Part II. Analytic Rubric
Here is a sample analytic rubric on the topic of “population sampling” in

research methods.
Sample Analytic Rubric
Performance Task (Performance Task for the subject)
Population Sampling (Topic)
Name: _______________(Student particulars)
Date: _____________ (Date examined)

Beginning Developing Accom- Exemplary
plished
1 2 3 4
Sampling Inap- Appropri- Appropri- Appropri-

Technique propriate ate ate ate
sampling technique technique technique
technique used to used to used to
used select select select
sample; sample; sample; no
major minor errors in
errors in errors in implemen-
implemen- implemen- tation
tation tation
Survey/ Inappro- Few Most All

Interview priate pertinent pertinent pertinent
Questions questions questions questions questions
asked to asked; data asked; data asked; data
collect on sample on sample on sample
needed is inad- is adequate is complete
data equate
Statistical No attempt Attempts Proper All the
Analysis at sum- at data analytical proper
marizing analysis, procedures analytical
collected but inap- used, but procedures
data propriate analysis is used to
procedures incomplete summarize
data

Beginning Developing Accom- Exemplary
plished
1 2 3 4
Commu- Incomplete Communi- Commu- Commu-
nication commu- cates some nicates nication
Results nication important most of the of results
of results, infor- important is very
unorga- mation; informa- thorough;
nized, and not well tion; shows shows
difficult to organized support for insight into
follow enough to decision how data
support predicted
decision outcome
Total Score
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson? pages 115 -118
1. Teacher Siti has just taught her students about the rotation of the earth and the
causes of day and night. She then asks one student to stand in the middle of the
room, and the rest to rotate and revolve around that student. Choose the best
question that reflects higher order questions from the options below.
a. Who is the ‘Earth’ and the ‘Sun’?
This is not the best answer. The question merely asks students to
recall previously learned facts, basic concepts, and answers.
b. Can you explain what happens when the ‘Earth’ faces the ‘Sun’ ?
This is not the best answer. The question requires students to

demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas.
c. What causes day and night?
This is not the best answer. The question asks students to solve prob-
lems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, and rules in a role play.
d. What is the relationship between the ‘Earth’ and the ‘Sun’?
This is the best answer. The question requires students to analyze,

a higher order thinking skill that involves the examination and
breaking down of information into parts in order to identify
relationships.

2. Ms Trang is using the cognitive acceleration approach in her art lesson for the
topic on Renaissance Architecture. At the end of the lesson, she asks them to
identify and name some buildings in town where Roman pillars are a part of the
infrastructure.
Based on the above classroom situation, which step of the cognitive acceleration
approach is Ms Trang applying?
a. Cognitive challenge
This is not the best answer. The task that Ms Trang has set does not
pose a challenge that is above the students’ current level of
knowledge for a solution to be found.
b. Metacognition
This is not the best answer. Ms Trang’s task for her students do not
require her students to verbalize their line of thinking or to reflect
how they tackled the task.
c. Social construction dialogue
This is not the best answer. The task does not require the students
to work together in groups to suggest solutions, try out ideas, and
act as mediators for one another.
d. Bridging
This is the best answer. Students need to link their new learning of
Renaissance architecture to applications to daily life.
3. Teacher Porntip plans to use Socratic questioning in her science lesson. She is
teaching the topic, “Insect Metamorphosis.” During the lesson, she asks the
class questions, such as, “What is the key concept of metamorphosis?” “How
does tadpole metamorphosis differ from insect metamorphosis?”
What level of Socratic thinking are reflected in the two questions posed by Ms
Porntip?
a. Literal questions
This is not the best answer. The questions do not merely ask for
information.

b. Conceptual questions
This is the best answer. In order to give the correct answer, they
are required to engage in abstract thinking.
c. Factual questions
This is not the best answer. The questions are not asking students
to give facts related to the concept.
d. Analytical questions
This is not the best answer. It does not require critical or creative
thinking.
4. Name the thinking state involved and possible learning outcomes when indi-
viduals or groups ‘wear’ the respective De Bono’s thinking hat as given below:

a. Black • Pessimistic, - Tries to see why ideas might not
defensive, work
cautious
- Highlights weak points
• Bad points
- Spots flaws and risks prior to course
judgment
of action
- Alters existing approach to counter

potential problems
b. Blue • Process con- - Uses rationalism, logic, and intellect
trol to draw conclusions, or provide an
overview
• Thinking
about think- - Focuses on “thinking” about (meta-
ing cognition), rather than on the situa-
tion, or process itself
c. White • Questions - Focuses on available information
• Seek infor- - Looks for gaps to be filled or consid-

mation ered
- Analyzes past trends, infer from

historical records

d. Green • Creativity - Develops creative solutions
- Puts forward little or no criticism of

ideas
e. Yellow • Optimistic - Sees the benefits and values of the

decision
• Good points
judgment - Spots opportunities arising from it
- Keeps up good spirits when things

look gloomy.
f. Red • Intuition - Thinks how others will react emo-

tionally
• Gut reaction
- Tries to understand others’ intuitive
• Emotion responses.
5. For the following cognitive domain levels of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, provide
three examples of suitable action words.
a. Remembering Retrieving, Recalling, Recognizing
b. Understanding Interpreting, Classifying, Summarizing
c. Applying Executing, Implementing, Carrying out
d. Analyzing Organizing, Distinguishing, Attributing
e. Evaluating Checking, Critiquing, Recommending
f. Creating Generating, Planning, Producing

6. Teacher Dorina is teaching about elephants in a science lesson. She is
encouraging her students to generate innovative and highly unusual ideas
about elephants. Identify three of Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys that she can use in her
classroom to achieve her objective.
(i) “What If” Key. Example: What if all elephants walked on two legs?
(ii) “Alternative” Key. Example: Think of three ways to bathe an

elephant without using a water hose.
(iii) “Interpretation” Key. Example: The zookeeper has just sent three
elephants to your neighbor’s house.
Interpretation: Your neighbour is an expert circus trainer.
You may have identified other Ryan’s Thinking Keys that could be
applied to teaching about elephants in your science lesson.
7. Somalay has just learned about graphic organizers. During recess, she shares
her new knowledge with her friends in the canteen. Imagine you are Somalay.
How would you explain the concept of graphic organizers and their use in
instruction?
The concept of graphic organizers and their use in instruction:
Graphic organizers are visual representations that help our minds see
patterns and relationships as we construct knowledge and organize
information. When we use graphic organizers, we group together
complex and fragmented information and transform them into simple
and easy to understand information. Graphic organizers can also be used
to present findings. In addition, they develop higher order thinking skills
such as creative and critical thinking. Examples of graphic organizers
include fish bone, flow chart, cycle of events, and Venn diagram.
8. During a group dynamics session, Ina is asked to describe critical incidents

in her childhood that have left a marked impression on her. She is asked to
use a graphic organizer to facilitate her presentation. Identify and explain two
suitable graphic organizers.
Two suitable graphic organizers that Ina can use for demonstrating
critical incidents in her life are:
(i) Timeline – Has a definite starting and ending point and a number of
divisions or spaces in between. Also known as a continuum.

(ii) Chart or matrix diagram – Display a number of incidents that have
taken place in the past in chronological order. Include information
such as the year, place, person(s) involved, and a brief description
of the incident.
9. In a short quiz based on the topic “Designing Scoring Rubrics For Your
Classroom,” the participants of a one-day workshop on “Authentic Assessment”
are asked to explain two types of labels of student performance that can be used
in holistic and analytic rubrics, with suitable examples. What are some of the
possible answers?
Two types of labels of student performance that are used in holistic and
analytic rubrics, with suitable examples:
(i) Quantitative (numerical) labels. Example: Using numbers ranging

from “1” to “4”, “0” to “5”, and so on.
(ii) Qualitative (descriptive) labels. Example: “master,” “expert,”

“apprentice,” and “novice”; “beginner,” “aspiring,” “competent,”
“proficient,” “expert,” and “strategist,” “beginning,” “developing,”
“accomplished,” and “exemplary”; and so on.
10. At a monthly meeting of English teachers, Ms Vasugi, a beginning teacher,

raises her hand and asks Mr. Mohamed, the panel head, “Sir, what is the
difference between holistic rubrics and analytic rubrics?”
If you are Mr. Mohamed, how would you explain the differences between these
two types of rubrics to Ms Vasugi?
The differences between a holistic rubric and an analytic rubric :
With a holistic rubric, the teacher is required to score the overall process
or product as a whole, without judging the component parts separately.
For an analytic rubric, the teacher first scores separate, individual parts
of the product or performance before summing the individual scores to
obtain a total score.
With a holistic rubric, the focus of the score reported is on the overall
quality, proficiency, or understanding of the content and skills. With
an analytic rubric, students receive feedback on their performance with
respect to each individual scoring criteria.

How Much Have You Learned From This Module? pages 121-126
1. Which of the following statements best describes a thinking classroom in the

twenty-first century ?
a. Teachers develop students’ thinking skills to support memory and recall.
This is not the best answer. Thinking skills do not aim to support
memory and recall, but rather creative and critical thinking,
problem-solving, decision-making, logical reasoning, and so on.
b. Teachers teach thinking skills as a separate entity in the curriculum.
This is not the best answer. The teaching of thinking skills is

embedded in all aspects of the curriculum rather than as a separate
entity in the curriculum.
c. Teachers provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge to

new situations for a deep and meaningful learning.
This is the best answer. Teachers include activities in the classroom

that encourage students to analyze, think critically, and transfer
what they have learned to 21st century situations.
d. Teachers evaluate students’ learning primarily through thinking strategies.

This is not the best answer. Teachers provide students with
opportunities to evaluate their learning through metacognitive
strategies.
2. Which of the following situations best exemplifies a thinking classroom?
a. In Ms. Yani’s science class, she asks her students to identify the different
types of flowers they see in the school yard. She asked them to sort the
flowers out according to color.
This is not the best answer. Ms. Yani’s activity in the class did not
require the students to go beyond identifying and classifying - both
lower thinking skills.
b. Mr. Phiene conducted his Social Studies class at the local market, where
his students interviewed the meat vendors about their opinion on price
increases. They wrote a reflection paper on this activity.
This is the best answer. Interviewing, analyzing responses, and

synthesizing, as well as reflective thinking done by the students are
all indicative of a thinking classroom.

c. Mrs. Hoa’s math class grouped themselves into fives. Each group played
a game, which drilled them on the multiplication table.
This is not the best answer. Classroom drills are simply rote
repetitions and memorization of answers. This does not show a
thinking classroom.
d. Ms. Abbie’s English class memorized the poem “Invictus.” Each student
took turns reciting the poem in front of the whole class.
This is not the best answer. Memorizing is a lower thinking skill

and does not require much thought processes in the students.
3. Ms Laily has read that effective questioning promotes students’ higher order
thinking in the classroom. The following statements describe how to use effective
questioning except:
a. Conduct a period of continuous questioning until the “right” answer

is reached
This is the best answer. A period of interrogation is not to be
encouraged as it may put pressure on students to think of the
“right” answer.
b. Allocate time for students to think and share their thoughts with others.
This is not the best answer. This is one characteristic of effective

questioning where students have time to think on their own before
sharing with others.
c. Provide opportunities for students to see other’s opinions besides their own.

questioning where they consider other people’s views.
d. Use probes and prompts to lead students to articulate their thoughts.

questioning to stimulate students to think deeply.

4. Mrs. Dara plans to use an instructional approach that will enable her students
to
• Become enrolled in their learning
• Question new information learned
• Connect prior experience with new learning
• Review learned material
• Celebrate the learning experience

What is the instructional approach called?
a. Self-paced Learning
This is not the best answer. Self-paced learning is where the learner
determines the pace and timing of content delivery.
b. Accelerated Learning
This is the best answer. Accelerated Learning uses the quantum

learning frame consisting of six steps: enroll, experience, label,
demonstrate, review, and celebrate.
c. Mastery Learning
This is not the best answer. Mastery Learning involves the

following steps: matching teaching to student outcomes, utilizing
multiple instructional methods, giving specific feedback, and
fostering correctives and extensions.
d. Self-regulated Learning
This is not the best answer. Self-regulated learning reflects on a

student’s progress toward a learning goal, and then appropriately
adjusts his learning behavior to maximize performance.

5. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy for the “Girl Guide Promise,” give a suitable example
for each level of cognitive thinking below:
A suitable example for each level of thinking skill Using Bloom’s

Taxonomy for the
Girl Guide Promise:
Level of cognitive Example

thinking
Knowledge Recite the Guide Promise.
Comprehension Explain what the Guide Law is.
Application Create your own promise to do some-
thing you believe in.
Analysis Discuss the meaning of “to help other
people.”
Synthesis Write a contract to yourself that includes
an allegiance to a symbol for something
you believe in.
Evaluation Describe the purpose of the Guide Prom-
ise and assess how well it achieves its
aim.
6. Mr. Santokh used De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats to develop HOTS in students
of his literature class. As a strategy, he wore a different color of hat for each
type of question that he asked. Match the questions below with the appropriate
hat that Mr. Santokh wore.
Thinking Hat Mr Santokh’s Questions

1. White Hat a. Can you write a new ending?
What will it be?
2. Red Hat b. What are the good points of the
characters in the story?
3. Black Hat c. How did the ending make you
feel? How did you feel about the
main character in the story?
4. Yellow Hat d. What have we done so far? What
can we do next?
5. Green Hat e. Who are the characters? What do
they look like?
6. Blue Hat f. What are the disadvantages in try-
ing to solve problems that way?

7. After learning about thinking strategies, Mrs. Thevika gives her class a written
exercise. One of the questions requires her students to match the appropriate
Thinker’s Keys with the descriptor using connecting lines as shown in the ex-
ample below:
Thinkers Keys Descriptor
1. Combination Key a. Provide materials to design a

problem-solving task.
2. Alternative Key b. Think of different ways to ex-
plain an unusual situation.
3. Different Uses Key c. Think of ways to complete a

task without being supplied
with the usual tools
4. Interpretation Key d. List and combine attributes of

two unrelated objects into a sin-
gle object.
5. Construction Key e. List different uses of items with
an emphasis on reuse.
8. Ms. Eugene is teaching his eighth graders how to use graphic organizers to
capture the highlights of their history lesson on “The Industrial Revolution.”
What are some guidelines that she can give her students in creating a suitable
graphic organizer for this topic?
Guidelines to follow for creating a suitable graphic organizer for a

particular topic:
(i) Focus on the relationships between the content in each individual
sub-topic.
(ii) Examine the meanings attached to each of them.
(iii) Prioritize the information. Determine the most important parts of

the topic to focus on and place on the graphic organizer.

9. Marcus finds it difficult to identify student performance criteria to develop a
rubric he has been assigned to. He goes to the library and sees a book entitled
“Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom.” In the book, he found the following
information that he needed on rubrics, presented using a graphic organizer.
How to Identify Performance Criteria

[Adapted from Arter & McTighe (2001:34)]
Read what Make a list

others have to say of key perfor-
about the nature of mance indicators that
high quality perfor- you know about based
mances for the skills on your experience
or knowledge High per- with the students
formance criteria
capture the essence
of what makes a prod-
uct or performance
work
Collect and
score samples of Collect
student work using and sort student
your rubric. Use ques- work into groups by
tions that arise to fine- quality. Write down
tune the language in features that make
the rubric the groups differ-
ent.
What type of graphic organizer is shown above? What makes you say so?
Provide a brief description for this type of graphic organizer.
The type of graphic organizer used is known as ‘Star.’ This graphic

organizer is commonly used for examining attributes related to a
single topic. In the example given, determining the criteria for student
performance is the central topic of the graphic organizer. The rays of the
“star” constitute what Marcus needs to do to develop the rubrics content
for student performance. Other examples for the “star” organizer may
include: identifying different types of teaching styles, different kinds of
learning styles, and so on.

10. Design a rubric for a fiction writing activity in the classroom. Include the plot,
setting, and the characters of the story in the rubric’s content. The following
is a suggested template for you to use, with sample descriptions under some
performance levels. You may fill it out, or you may develop your own original
rubric.
Sample Rubric
Criteria 4 3 2 1
Plot Both plot One of the Both plot Neither plot
parts are plot parts is parts are parts are
fully devel- fully devel- addressed fully devel-
oped. oped and but not fully oped.
the less de- developed.
veloped part
is at least
addressed.
Setting Both setting One of the Both setting Neither set-
parts are setting parts parts of the ting parts
fully devel- is fully de- story are are devel-
oped. veloped and addressed oped.
the less de- but not fully
veloped part developed.
is at least
addressed.
Characters The main The main The main None of the
characters characters characters characters
are fully are devel- are identi- are devel-
developed oped with fied by oped or
with much some de- name only. named.
descriptive scriptive
detail. The detail. The
reader has a reader has a
vivid image vague idea
of the char- of the char-
acters. acters.

Suggested Readings and Websites
Braslavsky, C. (2001). Basic education in the twenty-first century and the
challenges of secondary education. Prospects, 31 (1). Available at www.
ibe.unesco.org/publications/Prospects/.../EDITORIAL-117e.pdf
De Bono, E. (1990). Six Thinking Hats (3rd ed.). London: Penguin Books.
Educational Leadership (February, 2008). Teaching Students to Think. Vol-

ume 65, No 5.
Elsworth, G., Elizabeth Kleinhenz, and Adrian Beavis (2004). Evaluation of

the Middle Years Reform Program. Available at: http://works.bepress.
com/elizabeth_kleinhenz/17
ALPS. The Thinking Classroom. Available at http://learnweb.harvard.edu/

alps/thinking/index.cfm
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available at

http://www.ascd.org/
Creative and Critical Strategies. Available at http://www.teachers.ash.org.

au/researchskills/thinking.htm
Fisher R. (2006). Talking to Think. In: D. Jones & P. Hodson (Eds.). Unlock-
ing speaking and listening London, David Fulton.
Leslie Owen Wilson’s Curriculum Pages. Available at http://www.uwsp.

edu/education/lwilson/curric/newtaxonomy.htm
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Available at http://www.

ncrel.org
Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation. Available at http://pareonline.

net
The National Center for Teaching Thinking. Available at http://www.nctt.

net.
Principles, Tools, Articles and Quotes About Creativity Using Creativity. Avail-
able at http://creatingminds.org/

Glossary
Analytic rubrics - require the evaluator or teacher to, first of all, score sepa-
rate, individual parts of student task or performance before summing
the individual scores to obtain a total score.
Bloom’s Taxonomy - defines six different levels of thinking. The levels

build in increasing order of difficulty from basic, rote memorization
to higher (more difficult and sophisticated) levels of critical thinking
skills.
Cognition - mental abilities of knowing, perceiving, and understanding.
Content objectives - instructional objectives focusing on the knowledge

(the ‘what’) that students should acquire at the end of a lesson.
Curriculum (plural curricula) - a plan of instruction that details what stu-

dents are to know, how they are to learn it, what the teacher’s role is,
and the context in which learning and teaching will take place.
Facilitator - a role for classroom teachers that allows students to take a
more active role in learning. Teachers assist students in making con-
nections between classroom instruction and students’ own knowledge
and experiences by encouraging students to create new solutions, by
challenging their assumptions, and by asking probing questions.
Graphic organizer - a visual framework to help students make connections

between concepts. Some graphic organizers can be used prior to learn-
ing to remind students of what they already know about a topic. Other
graphic organizers are used during learning to act as cues for identify-
ing the structure of the resources or information. Still others are used
during review activities to remind students of the number and variety
of components they should be remembering.
Higher Order Questions - questions that require thinking and reflection

rather than single-solution responses.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) - understanding complex concepts

and applying sometimes conflicting information to solve a problem,
which may have more than one correct answer. HOTS aims to enable
students to apply facts to solve real world problems, and to improve
retention of facts.
Holistic rubrics - require the evaluator or teacher to score the overall pro-
cess or product as a whole, without examining the component parts
separately.

Instructional approach - an educational method for turning knowl-
edge into learning, and dictated by the learning objectives decid-
ed upon by the curriculum.
Metacognition - the process of considering and regulating one’s own learn-

ing. Activities include assessing or reviewing one’s current and pre-
vious knowledge, identifying gaps in that knowledge, planning gap-
filling strategies, determining the relevance of new information, and
potentially revising beliefs on the subject.
Modeling - demonstrating to students how to do a task, with the expecta-

tion that they can copy the model.
Multiple intelligences - this theory, developed by Howard Gardner, pro-

poses that human potential encompasses more than one type of intel-
ligence that is measured using Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests. He cat-
egorized intelligence into eight different types, namely: visual-spatial,
verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-
rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. A ninth intelli-
gence is existentialistic intelligence. These intelligences work together.
Teachers are encouraged to design instruction to foster the growth of
all intelligences.
Pedagogical skills - teacher-centered skills demonstrated by a teacher when

teaching students. Related to direct instruction where the teacher is
viewed as an authority figure and students are not generally involved
in decisions/actions with respect to learning.
Perception - information received from the external environment by the

five senses is processed and interpreted by the individual.
Performance criteria - written standards used by an evaluator to judge

whether a student can perform a skill or has demonstrated knowledge
of a particular topic.
Process objectives - instructional objectives that focus on how to enhance

students’ thinking skills (organize, analyze, evaluate, solve problems),
rather than what to think ( learning a specific skill or content) in rela-
tion to learning.
Qualitative assessment - assessment based on personal views, experi-

ence, or opinion of the reviewer.
Quantitative assessment - assessment based on the use of numbers in the

form of student test scores.

Rubrics - a scoring tool that teachers use to assess student learning after a
lesson. Using a set of criteria and standards (directly tied to the stated
learning objectives), teachers can assess each student’s performance on
a wide variety of work, ranging from written essays to class projects.
Scoring Rubrics - a set of guidelines for rating student work. It describes

what is being assessed, provides a scoring scale, and helps the teacher
or rater correctly place work on the scale.
Student-centered classroom - a classroom in which students are encour-

aged to choose their own learning goals and projects. This approach
is based on the belief that students have a natural inclination to learn,
learn better when they work on real or authentic tasks, benefit from
interacting with diverse groups of people, and learn best when teachers
understand and value the difference in how each student learns.
Taxonomies - classification or ordering into groups, such as Bloom’s Tax-

onomy
Teaching philosophy - a statement of beliefs and attitudes relative to the

purpose of education and the role of the teacher;
Thinking classroom - a classroom where students learn more than content,

and are trained to learn on their own and develop their higher cogni-
tive skills. It is also a classroom that values and uses the different ways
in which children think and learn.
Think, Pair, Share - this strategy is a structured process to share informa-

tion efficiently. It can be used as a reflective tool at any stage through-
out the learning process. The process can lead to other learning situa-
tions that build on background knowledge and understanding.
Visual organizer - visual and graphic representations of information that

show units of information and the relationship between these units.

References
Aesop’s Fables. Retrieved from www.aesopfables.com/
Arter, J. & McTighe, J. (2001). Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom: Using

Performance Criteria for Assessing and Improving Student Performance.
California: Sage Publications Co.
Bjorklund, D.F. (2005). Children’s Thinking: Cognitive Development and

Individual Differences (4th ed.). USA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning Inc.
Caldwell, B.J. (2004). The Transformation of Education through Networking.

Paper presented at the Trust-sponsored Seminar at the University of
Hong Kong, 21 July 2004. Retrieved from www.educationaltransfor-
mations.com.au/.../et_transformations_of_education_through_net-
working.pdf .
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA). Why

Assess?. Retrieved from http://www.carla.umn.edu/assessment/vac/
WhyAssess/p_1.html
CORD (2005). CORD Teaching Style Inventory. Retrieved from http://citl.

gwu.edu/pdf/TSI.pdf
Costa, A.L. (2001). “Habits of Mind.” in: A.L. Costa (Ed.). Developing Minds:
A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking (3rd ed.). Alexandria VA: Asso-
ciation for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Cottrell, S. (2005). Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and

Argument. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
DePorter, B. (2001). Accelerated Learning. Retrieved from http://www.ne-

whorizons.org
Facione, P.A. & Facione, N.C. (2009). The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring
Rubric A Tool for Developing and Evaluating Critical Thinking [Online].
Retrieved from www.insightassessment.com
Fennimore, T.F. & Tinzmann, M.B. (1990). What is a Thinking Curriculum?.

Retrieved from info@ncrel.org.
Fisher, R. (in press). “Thinking Skills.” in: Grainger, A.J. & Wray, D. (Eds.).
Learning to Teach in Primary School. Routledge Falmer.
Fleetham, M. Thinking Classroom Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.

thinkingclassroom.co.uk/learn.aspx.

Fogarty, R. (2003). The Middle Years: The Essential Teaching Repertoire. Re-
trieved from http://www.sussexheightsps.vic.edu.au/fogarty.htm
Graphic Organizers. Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/

graphicorganizers/
Graphic Organizers in the Classroom. Retrieved From http://eduscapes.

com/tap/topic73.htm
Hurley, G.C. & Nisbet, S. (2004). Thinking Immersion: Creating a Classroom.

Culture for Thinkers of the Future. Retrieved from www98.griffith.edu.
au/dspace/bitstream/10072/2013/1/28351_1.pdf
Kirby, G.R. & Goodpaster, J.R. (2002). Thinking (3rd ed.). New Jersey :Pear-
son Education.
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Skills for a Changing World. New York: McGraw Hill Inc.
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tive Approach. USA: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth.
McKeena, B. (2001). Transforming the Classroom is the Key to Educational

Reform, Author Says. Retrieved from http://www.ucsc.edu/cur-
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ing%20Oriented%20Curriculum.doc
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Annex A
Examples of Activities that Promote
Higher Order Thinking
Examples of Activities: Science
Apply a Rule: The student could be asked to explain why a shotgun “kicks”
when fired. His response would include a statement to the effect that for
every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (Newton’s Laws of Mo-
tion), and that the “kick” of the shotgun is equal to the force propelling the
shot toward its target. The faster the shot travels and the greater the weight
of the shot, the greater the “kick” of the gun.
Classify: Given examples of different materials, the student could be asked

to classify each according to its physical properties as gas, liquid, or solid.
Construct: The student could be asked to construct a model of a carbon

atom.
Define: Given several types of plant leaves, the student could be asked to
define at least three categories for classifying them.
Note: Defining is not memorizing and writing definitions created by some-
one else -- it is creating definitions.
Demonstrate: Given an earth-sun-moon model which may be manipulated

to show the orbits of the earth and moon, the student could be asked to
demonstrate the cause of various phases of the moon as viewed from earth.
Describe: The student could be asked to describe the conditions essential

in a balanced aquarium that will allow four goldfish to thrive.
Diagram: The student could be asked to diagram the life cycle of a grass-
hopper.
Distinguish: Given a list of paired elements, the student could be asked to

distinguish between metallic and non-metallic elements in each pair.

Estimate: The student could be asked to estimate the amount of heat given
off by one liter of air compressed to one-half its original volume.
Evaluate: Given several types of materials, the student could be asked to

evaluate them to determine which is the best conductor of electricity.
Identify: Given several types of materials, the student could be asked to

identify those which would be attracted to a magnet.
Interpret: The student could be asked to interpret a weather map taken

from a newspaper.
Locate: The student could be asked to locate the position of chlorine on the
periodic table.
Note: To locate is to describe location. It is not identification of location.
Measure: Given a container graduated in cubic centimeters, the student

could be asked to measure a specific amount of liquid.
Name: The student could be asked to name the parts of an electromagnet.
Order: The student could be asked to order a number of animal life forms
according to their normal length of life.
Predict: From a description of the climate and soils of an area, the student
could be asked to predict the plant ecology of the area.
Solve: The student could be asked to solve the following: How many grams
of H2O will be formed by the complete combustion of one liter of hydrogen
at 70oC?
State a Rule: The student could be asked to state a rule that tells what the
offspring of mammals will be, i.e., they will be very similar to their parent
organisms.
Translate: The student could be asked to translate 93,000,000 into standard

scientific notation.

Examples of Activities: Mathematics
Apply a Rule: Given a pair of equations such as 2 + 4 + 7 = 13, and 7 + 2 +

4 = ___, the student could be asked to apply a rule that would give him the
solution to the second equation of the pair without adding the numbers.
His response should include a statement to the effect that the same num-
bers are to be added in each equation, but in different order (analysis) and
that the order of addition makes no difference in the solution of the equa-
tions. Therefore, the sum of both equations is the same.
Classify: Given a series of numbers drawn at random from 1 - 1000, the

student could be asked to classify them into categories of even divisibility
by 2, 4, 6, and so on.
Construct: Given a ruler, compass, and paper, the student could be asked
to construct an equilateral triangle.
Define: Given different kinds of coins, the student could be asked to define
some categories to classify the coins. His response would include defini-
tions such as, “All pennies, all nickels, all dimes, etc., could be put in sepa-
rate piles. Or all the coins containing silver could be put in one pile and
those that don’t into another pile.”
Demonstrate: Given a sufficient number of concrete objects and an equation

such as 3 x 4 = 12, the student could be asked to use the objects to demon-
strate that multiplication is repeated addition. His response would include
placement of 12 objects in 3 groups of 4 each, or 4 groups of 3 each. He may
also be asked to describe how the demonstrations show repeated addition.
Describe: The student could be asked to describe a method of determining

a number of groups of 5 objects in a collection of 45 objects. The response
would include a statement that groups of 5 members would be counted out
and then the number of groups could be counted. The student may also be
asked to demonstrate the process he described.
Diagram: The student could be asked to graph the equation y = 2x2 - x + 3.
Distinguish: Given pairs of numbers, with one number of each pair a prime
number, the student could be asked to identify the prime number in each
pair.

Estimate: Given multiplication examples with three-digit numerals in both
the multiplier and multiplicand, the student estimates the products to the
nearest thousand.
Identify: The student could be asked to point to the numeral 94 on a nu-

meration chart.
Interpret: Given a bar graph showing the per unit cost of food products
when purchased in various size packages, the student interprets it by stat-
ing the lowest and highest per unit cost and by describing the relationship
between increased package size and per unit cost of the product.
Locate: The student could be asked to locate a particular desk in his class-
room by stating the row it is in and the ordinal position from the front of
the room. “John’s desk is the fourth one from the front, in the second row,
from the east wall.”
Name: What is the name of this collection of objects? Answer: “A set.” What
is the name of this type of equation? Answer: “A quadratic equation.”
Order: Given a number of objects of different lengths, the student could be

asked to order them from lesser to greater length.
Predict: The student could be asked to predict the next term in an increas-
ing arithmetic series such as 2, 5, 9, 14 ____.
Solve: The student could be asked to solve the following: 2 + 3 = ____. In

this example, the type of operation is clearly indicated. Or, he could be
asked to solve the following: “Jimmy, John, Bill, and Sam each had three
marbles. John gave Bill two of his marbles. How many marbles did Jimmy
and Sam have together then?” In this example, the operation to be per-
formed is not specified, and extraneous factors are introduced.
State a Rule: In response to the question: “Why is the sum of two numbers
no different if the order of adding them is reversed?” The student answers:
“Because of the commutative principle,” or “Because the order makes no
difference in addition.”

Examples of Activities: Social Studies
Apply a Rule: Given population data that illustrates the principle that the
standard of living decreases if population increases without corresponding
increase in production, the student could be asked to analyze the data and
tell how he/she is able to determine what effects changing population will
have upon the standard of living.
Classify: Given photographs of various people and definitions of racial

classes, the student could be asked to classify the photographs according to
the races of the people portrayed.
Construct: Given appropriate materials, the student could be asked to con-

struct a model of a city water system.
Define: Given a filmed or taped situation in which several forms of com-

munication are portrayed, the student could be asked to define several cat-
egories of communication. His response could include definitions for ver-
bal, non-verbal, pictorial, visual, auditory, or any of several other classes or
categories of communication.
Demonstrate: The student could be asked to demonstrate the use of calipers

to determine the measurements for obtaining cephalic indices. Or he/she
could be asked to demonstrate use of a compass to determine direction.
Describe: The student could be asked to describe the culture of a particular

Indian tribe. Diagram: The student could be asked to diagram the steps
involved in the passage of a bill though the legislature.
Distinguish: Given the names of ancient Greek and Roman gods paired
according to function, the student could be asked to distinguish between
them.
Estimate: Given the day of the year and the latitude, the student could be
asked to estimate the length of daylight at a particular place.
Identify: Given the name of one of the U.S. presidents, and photographs of
several, the student could be asked to identify the picture of the one which
was named.

Interpret: Given a bar graph that shows production of steel in the U.S. dur-
ing the last fifty years, the student could be asked to interpret the graph.
His response could include references to times of production increases or
decreases, total amount of decreases or increases, and differences in pro-
duction between the years.
Locate: The student could be asked to locate in time, the first battle of the
American Revolution.
Measure: Given a string and a globe with a scale of miles, the student could
be asked to measure the scaled distance between any two given points.
Name: The student could be asked to name the factors that contribute to
natural population increases.
Order: Given the names of the declared wars in which the U.S. has en-
gaged, the student could be asked to order them according to the time of
occurrence.
Predict: The student could be asked to predict the type of economy that
could be supported in described geographic regions.
Solve: Given tables of prices and costs, the student could be asked to solve
problems related to the law of diminishing returns.
State a Rule: In response to the question: “What controlled the inheritance

of family property in the European Middle Ages?” the student would re-
spond with a statement that indicated that property was inherited by the
eldest son.
Adapted from “Examples of Behavioral Verbs and Student Activities”

by Dr. Bob Kizlik
Source: http://teaching.uncc.edu/resources/best-practice-articles/instructional-
methods/promoting-higher-thinkin

Annex B
Examples of Rubrics
A. Holistic Rubrics
1. Holistic Rubric for Essay Questions
Response Criteria Rating

Clarity of thought, Complete. Shows under-
standing of all processes, reasonable hypothesis
Exemplary or thoughtful questions, conclusions support- 11
able by data, shows creativity, some graphic
representation of data or concepts.
Clarity of thought, shows understanding of

major processes, includes good hypothesis or
Competent 10
questions, draws acceptable inferences and
conclusions, may have graphic representations.
Completes the assignment, but explanations

may be slightly ambiguous or unclear, may con-
Minor Flaws tain some incompleteness, inappropriateness, 8
or unclearness in representation, hypothesis,
understanding of processes, or conclusions.
Begins successfully, but omits significant

parts or fails to complete, may misuse scien-
Nearly Satis-
tific terms, representations may be incorrect or 6
factory
omitted, incorrect or incomplete in analysis,
inferences and conclusions.
Assignment and explanation is unclear, or

Fails to com- major flaws in concept mastery, incorrect use
4
plete of scientific terms, inappropriate or omitted
hypothesis.
Product does not reflect the assignment, does
Unable to be- not distinguish what information is needed,

2
gin effectively restates the question without making an
attempt at a solution.
No attempt Does not begin assignment. 0

2. Holistic Rubrics for a Science Project
The student’s project has a hypothesis, a procedure,

Proficient collected data, and analyzed results. The project is
thorough and the findings are in agreement with the
(3 points) data collected. There are minor inaccuracies that do
not affect the quality of the project.
The student’s project may have a hypothesis, a proce-

Adequate dure, collected data, and analyzed results. The proj-
ect is not as thorough as it could be; there are a few
(2 points) overlooked areas. The project has a few inaccuracies
that affect the quality of the project.
The student’s project may have a hypothesis, a proce-

Limited dure, collected data, and analyzed results. The proj-
(1 point) ect has several inaccuracies that affect the quality of
the project.
B. Analytic Rubrics
1. Analytical Rubric for logs and journal writing

Area of
Criteria Rating
Product
regular daily entries 4
entries 90% of the time 3

daily
entries entries 80% of the time 2
entries less than 80% of the time 1
consistent, accurate usage of terms 4
use of adequate usage of scientific terms 3

scientific
language occasional use with few errors 2
no terms or frequent errors in usage 1
able to apply learning 4
application usually finds practical application 3

to the real
world occasionally relates to real life skills 2
no practical application 1

Area of
Criteria Rating
Product
shows understanding of key concepts 4
concept usually demonstrates understanding 3

understand-
inadequately demonstrates understanding 2
ing
poor understanding of concepts 1
well organized 4
adequate organization 3
clarity of
thought limited organization 2
poor organization 1
2. Analytic Rubric for a science project
Criteria 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point

Has a plan The plan is The plan is The plan is The plan is
for investi- thorough lacking a missing ma- incomplete
gation few details jor details and limited
Use of mate- Manages all Uses the Mishandles Does not use
rials materials materials some of the materials
responsibly responsibly materials properly
most of the
time
Collects the Thorough Collects Major por- The data

data collection some of the tions of the collection
data data are consists of a
missing few points
Source: http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstnrhx/457/rubric.htm

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GURO21

Developing Higher Order Thinking

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners A

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners I

Lesson 1: Transforming My Classroom into a Thinking Classroom ............. 10

What Is This Lesson About? ............................................................................. 10

II Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

Lesson 2: Strengthening My Teaching through Teaching Strategies ............ 54

What Is This Lesson About? ........................................................................... 54

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners III

Let’s Sum Up ....................................................................................................... 119

To be able to play the role of a guide or facilitator in your classroom, you

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 1

What Will You Learn?

Specifically, you should be able to:

• Integrate critical and creative thinking, logical reasoning, and

• Prepare a plan to develop and sustain higher order thinking skills

• Assess your students’ higher order thinking skills.

Lesson 1. Transforming My Classroom into a Thinking Classroom

Lesson 2. Strengthening My Teaching through Thinking Strategies

2 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 3

1. The primary educational goal of the twenty-first century is to:

a. produce students who are holistically developed.

2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a thinking classroom?

a. Students work in groups based on skill level or language ability.

3. A thinking curriculum integrates both content and process. This means

a. Life-long learning is the primary focus.

4. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, higher order thinking skills include

a. application, comprehension, and evaluation.

4 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

a. constructing graphic organizers.

a. Focus on advantages — Yellow hat

8. Mrs. Munira has just attended a talk on “Productive Pedagogies.” The

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 5

a. Analytic rubrics are primarily used when the purpose of the

a. Identify specific observable attributes.

For questions 11-13, write your answers on the space provided.

11. Enumerate the four characteristics of a thinking curriculum.

6 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

If you correctly answered at least 11 of the 14 questions, you have a

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 7

Directions: The checklist below contains a list of competencies cov-

I cannot I am learn- I can do this, I can do

Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post

4. Apply the con-

8 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 9

What Is This Lesson About?

Today, infusion (sometimes known as immersion) of teaching thinking

In view of this, the importance attributed to thinking skills cannot be un-

10 Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners

• What is the nature of a thinking classroom?

• How will I transform my classroom into a thinking classroom?

• What is the role of higher order thinking skills in the context of a

What Will You Learn?

• Describe a thinking classroom.

• Explain higher order thinking skills in the context of a thinking

• Evaluate the application of higher order thinking skills in your own

Let’s Try This (Activity 1.1)

Mr. Ahmad: Last week,

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Learners 11